


After the storm is before the storm.

by TinaMuller



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fix-It of Sorts, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Internal Monologue, Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Spoilers, Life Is Strange: Spoilers, Mystery, Road to LA, Supernatural Elements, amberprice, life is strange au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-02-23 13:33:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 52,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13191159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinaMuller/pseuds/TinaMuller
Summary: After a heartfelt talk following the end of "Life Is Strange", Rachel and Chloe take a chance to go back and make stuff a little better.Trying to come to terms with not only a sudden and overwhelming need to be close to each other, but also with weird déjà vus and the abstract knowledge that Arcadia Bay might not be as safe as it seemed; Rachel Amber and Chloe Price plan to leave that awful Oregon town as fast as they possibly can. Who would have guessed going to a Firewalk show might set something like this in motion?Rather dark and angsty beginning, so consider yourself warned. Some other dark elements of the games (spoilers inbound) will be adressed as well. But it is therapy after the Before the Storm ending, I admit it.





	1. Prologue: Dead (wo)men talking

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing of Life Is Strange. If I did, Amberprice would be the endgame for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Life Is Strange. If I did, Amberprice would be the endgame.

 

 

* * *

 

“Fuck.” Everything was dark for a moment, pitch black. A low chuckle next to her could be heard, though. It sounded so familiar, so much like _her_. But that was impossible, right? _I miss her so much. Not the first time I imagined hearing her voice._ Chloe Price, blue-haired wannabe pirate, opened her eyes and sat up quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly, though, as a wave of vertigo hit her. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she looked at the person next to her. Her heartbeat had been accelerated ever since that chuckle, but actually seeing her - damn, it felt as if Chloe’s heart was ready to beat straight out of her chest.

 

“Rachel…” she whispered, looking at her girlfriend. Still girlfriend? Former girlfriend? Does disappearing _(dying)_ count as a break-up? Not waiting for an answer, Chloe starting to smile; flashing a broad, warm smile that had always been reserved exclusively for Rachel. It was a smile nobody had seen in that hellhole Arcadia Bay for months. “Rachel Amber?” There was another chuckle, and a very soft smile in return; a sweet, genuine smile that could melt her heart. “Chloe Price.”

 

Time seemed to stand still, the world tilting on its axis when blue and hazel eyes met in a staring contest, for the first time in over six months. How much can you truly love another person? What can another human being possibly mean to you? Both would answer that you are unable to know the answer to that until you lose the one person you always loved the most.

 

Leaning in, the blue-haired punk pulled Rachel closer, pressing their lips together. Breathing in that all-too familiar slight jasmine scent of hers, feeling her warmth, tasting her lips, Chloe felt whole for the first time since late April. Joyce and David had forced her to go to a doctor, but she hadn’t wanted to talk to him. He was kind enough, but he wasn’t Rachel, the one person who always understood her; whose pseudo-therapy lessons actually helped sometimes. But he had prescribed her some pills, insisting she should take them, even if she refused to talk to him beyond a “hello” and “good-bye”.

 

Seeing the helpless, but pleading glances of her mother, she had finally relented and took the prescribed Prozac. Not without using google first, though, so she knew what it was used for - the doctor probably told her, but who listens to some shrink anyway? The pills did kinda help her - she managed to leave her bedroom again, and invested all of her energy into trying to find Rachel. Her best friend and significant other being missing was the darkest timeline indeed.

 

“I wish you’d never gone through that fucking shit.” It was a deadpanned statement, and Rachel stared down at her Converse. “It was your worst nightmare, the one thing you feared since day one; that I am leaving you without saying good-bye – and I always knew it. I will regret that it happened for all of my existence, Chloe.” Shaking her head in disbelief, Chloe took a deep breath, half-remembering the awful pictures she had seen…somewhere, some when… _We’re both dead? Damn._ “Well...I don’t think you had much of a choice in that matter. I doubt you wanted to die in that fucking bunker.” Now also studying Rachel’s Converse, the blue-haired woman lowered her voice. “Can you tell me? What happened there?”

 

Rachel shrugged. “I don’t see why not. We are both dead after all. Nobody can hurt us here anymore.” Chloe wished that her girlfriend wouldn’t be so damn calm about the fact that neither of them survived their teenage years. Remembering getting shot in a damn bathroom in fucking Blackhell wasn’t fun. “It was so awful, you know; waking up in that room to the flash of a camera. At first, I thought Nathan was talking to his father, but it turned out to be Jefferson, that art teacher. The least I could do was keep looking away from the camera...but damn, did that piss him off. I feel like he broke at least four or five ribs when he kept kicking me for this insubordination. But then he left at some point, leaving me alone with Nathan.”

 

Chloe studied her face, the far-away look in her hazel eyes, the way Rachel grabbed her hand a little too tight. “I tried to plead with him, begging him to let me go, reminding him of the fact that we always used to be friends. Bad idea…” A deep breath and a sigh followed. “He was high on some drugs; started to rant about you, and I called that bullshit. In the end, he told me that if I can prove to him I care more for him than you, he’d let me live. So I wrote some letter to you, telling you I hooked up with someone. But in the end he laughed, mocking me for believing him when he...erm...Chloe...you’re crying…”

 

The blue-haired woman shook her head, surprised. She didn’t even notice that until Rachel reached up to gently wipe the tears away. Her girlfriend pulled her in a closer embrace, allowing Chloe to ruin her favourite blue flannel with salt water. “I should have been there. Fuck. I mean, if I had gone to that party with you, like we planned it…before I got sick that afternoon...” Her blonde girlfriend shook her head. “So you would have fucking died in that damn room with me? Nathan would probably have killed you in front of my eyes before killing me or vice versa.”

 

Rachel shuddered at that thought. She had been following Chloe around in the form of her spirit animal, seeing her girlfriend/best friend falling apart - and dying. All the times she saw Chloe die and Max Caulfield rewinding the time to stop that. Not even soaking her brain in bleach would ever be enough to wipe these memories. She shouldn’t feel this glad to have her blue-haired partner in crime at her side, but couldn’t help it. Perhaps seeing Chloe happier than all the times since late April helped ease her guilt. _I just wish…that she could have been happy without dying._

 

“This is like the worst fucking conversation I ever had…I mean, where the fuck are we even sitting, Rach?” Chloe asked, trying to get a little break. Rachel shrugged, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she spread her arms. “You tell me, Price!” Looking around, the darkness seemed to clear a bit. Or maybe it had always been clear, but unimportant compared to Rachel. “A mountain range? We’re up really high, aren’t we?” Unfamiliar mountains shone brightly under the pale moonlight, and neither of them had ever seen the stars and the Milky Way with such detailed clarity – and that close, for the matter. Where ever they were, it was a place without any hint of light pollution. The blonde tilted her head to the side, putting some hair behind her left ear. “Hmm. Well done, Price; it seems like we finally climbed Mount Everest.”

 

Rachel wrapped an arm around Chloe’s shoulders again when she saw the frown. “You promised me you wouldn’t leave me,” Chloe told Rachel. Both knew that it was an accusation, and not entirely unjustified. While it hadn’t been willingly, she had left Chloe behind. “I didn’t want to leave you, so I kept watching. There was that bluebird following you around. Yeah, that was me. Not that you truly noticed or knew it. But I tried to watch over you in that form...failing hard. I failed so much worse than Max. It felt so awful to see you die over and over again…” There were no words for that, the way it felt to have your heart ripped into tiny pieces again and again.

 

Most prominent was the night at the junkyard. How Chloe had strutted across the all too familiar territory of American Rust, with a gun in hand. And how she died, shot in the head by Jefferson. This was by far the worst death of her Rachel had witnessed. What hit her most was the way Chloe’s body laid next to her own, reunited in the most morbid way ever. That moment...in these months only watching; Rachel’s heart had broken so many times - and that was the one hit to shatter it; entirely turning it to dust.

 

This triggered something in Chloe, memories she had but didn’t have at the same time, like the pictures of Rachel in the Dark Room. It was hella bad to sort through them and gave her the worst headache in her entire life. Life? Existence? Afterlife? That was all becoming hella difficult. “Fuck. Max...that tornado. Finding you...on that junkyard. Me, keeping dying: In that bathroom; with that stray bullet; the train...again and again. It’s like - I feel I had to die when you were gone. Even after I knew you might have lied to me, I couldn’t help it. Whenever I died, all I could think of in these few seconds between life and death was that I am going to be with you again. That everything is finally going to be okay, because I’ll see you again.”

 

She couldn’t believe she actually said that out loud. _So fucking cheesy_. For a long time, Chloe had been trying to find Rachel again, but deep inside she had always known. What made everything more awful was the fact how few people actually cared about Rachel’s disappearance. James Amber had sat Chloe down to talk, reminding her that there was no way Rachel would leave without contacting any of them. That was it, though. Besides herself and Rachel’s family, nobody even cared that she was gone. How ironic that Rachel had been right about that fact – she had had many acquaintances in Blackwell, but not a single genuine friend.

 

“Hmm. Look who’s crying, now, Amber.” Rachel punched her girlfriend’s shoulder lightly before they kissed again, holding the other as close as humanly possible. “I wanted you to be happy”, Rachel finally whispered, voicing the one thing she had actually prayed for, but Chloe shook her head. “Without you by my side? No chance.” The punk closed her eyes and recalled the memories of the week that never happened. “It feels so weird. I mean, I was really glad Max was there, she’s my best friend. But at the same time, I knew that I managed to live without her for five years. Sure, it was quite horrible until you came along, but I could live through that. I used my diary to write letters to Max; letters I would never send. I did that for ages - until the day when I fixed the truck and you ended up in hospital. Holding you close, I knew I could get over that; live without Max.”

 

The blonde had half a mind of trying to stop Chloe, but she wanted to hear that, as painful as it was. In a way, this was one of their pseudo-therapy sessions. “But without you, Rach, fuck, I didn’t even function enough to leave my bed - let alone the house - without pharmacologic help. And while I tried to keep myself busy with the search, I deep down knew you would never leave without me, that you had to be dead…and my mom kept glancing at me with these weird looks and...shit.” Getting up, Chloe started pacing in front of the park bench. A park bench, just like the one by the lighthouse? Damn, her imagination really was the shit, wasn’t it?

 

Rachel stared in the distance, trying to stop the anger. Who cared if she had died? Yet, Chloe’s reaction to that made her blood boil. If she had any say in that, she would tear Nathan and Jefferson apart limb by limb. Or maybe roast them slowly over some fire for hours, until their skin starte… She caught herself. _Too easy. I want to see them suffer as badly as we had to suffer._ Torturing them in the worst way human imagination could come up with was too nice for them, for what they did to Chloe. “Rach? That smile? What crazy stuff are you thinking of?” Chloe was all too familiar with that smile. For many people, it was a nice and pleasant smile, but she had always been able to see past her girlfriend’s facade. This kind of smile, plus the way her hazel eyes seemed to fucking burn meant a painful death for someone.

 

Deciding - well, duh, _knowing_ \- that Chloe would get a serious kick out of that, Rachel stretched before elaborating her idea. She effortlessly kicked her legs out before crossing them at the ankles and made a show of studying her fingernails. “Well, I thought of some stuff I’d love to do to Jefferson and Nathan for the fact that they fucking dared to kill you – us.” Rachel smiled, a real smile - damn, she had gotten the tone just right: perfectly nonchalant, slightly dry and disinterested, as if she had just commented on the weather.

 

Not only did she get it just right, Chloe’s eyes lit up and she smiled broadly. Now this was a game they were both familiar with. “Awww, Rach, that sounds really good. Tell me more, pretty please?” Sitting back on the bench next to her girlfriend, Chloe waited eagerly for more details, hoping she could add some ideas of her own as a repayment for what they did to her angel. “So, you know Edgar Allan Poe?” Chloe rolled her eyes. “Give me some credit, Amber. He wrote some sick shit about murder and stuff, creepy and all that. Of course I know who he is. Isn’t there even a Prospero in one of his stories? Not that this Prospero can compare to the two of us acting the hell out of _The Tempest._ ” A quick kiss for consolation later, Rachel picked up where she left.

 

“So he wrote this one short story called _The Pit and the Pendulum_ which might have inspired me. I won’t bother you with details, but I entertain the idea of using duct tape to actually restrain them. Above them is that hella big razor-sharp pendulum that is swinging back and forth and slowly descending, designed to kill them - and they have to watch every moment of the descent. Even when they close their eyes, the soft movement can be heard, that sharp whirl.” Damn, Chloe should be shocked; complaining or wondering about her girlfriend’s mental sanity, but actually she couldn’t help but smile. “Hells, yeah. Slow, painful, artistic. I do love your style.” Were they seriously flirting over this? Perhaps death could to that to a person. And it kind of fit _them_.

 

“I had the best teacher in devising ideas that are just _perfect dark_.” Just as Chloe contemplated kissing her just once more – some proper, making out kissing, maybe - a new voice startled her. “It seems to me you found the one person with the right humour and imagination to match your own, sweetheart.” Both women froze as a middle-aged man came into view. For obvious reason, Rachel had never met him in person, but she heard the stories and saw the pictures. “William…” she whispered, while Chloe jumped up again and hugged her Dad with all the might she could muster. “Damn, sweetie, you’ve got some muscles there. Now it’s your turn not to break me.” Sobbing, but happy, Chloe grinned. “That’s a dollar for the swear jar, Dad!”

 

“You’re one to talk, Chloe. Between you and your girlfriend there, the two of you could probably amass enough money for a trip all across the world in less than two weeks.” Rachel coughed slightly and tucked her hair back behind her left ear, trying to look somewhere else. “Don’t try acting as if you’re not there, young lady.” He winked at her and smiled at Chloe before looking back at the blonde. “Normally, I would grill you about your intentions towards my daughter, but I feel that in these circumstances, I can let that be. Besides, it seems the two of you have way darker ideas of torture than everything I could come up with right now anyway.”

 

“Dad...I missed you so much”, the blue-haired woman whispered as they sat down on the bench next to Rachel. “I know, sweetheart, I know. I used to watch you for a while. Remember that raven that you saw? But then I saw it wasn’t necessary anymore - you found someone to lean on.” This was perhaps the best day Chloe has had in ages - too bad nothing of it was real. Or maybe all was real, but it didn’t matter that much, because they were all just some dead people talking. A small hand grabbed hers and she looked up to face the beautiful hazel eyes she had grown to love so much.

 

“This is real. All of it is real. I am really here with you and I’m never leaving again.” William smiled at the antics of the two young women who apparently had the ability to read each other's’ minds. “So, about that. I am here to give you two a choice.” Unconsciously, Chloe grabbed Rachel’s hand tighter, holding on to this all-too familiar hand as if it were her anchor, her only lifeline. “What do you mean, Dad?” A choice? What choice? She wasn’t going anywhere without Rachel.

 

“You can go on together or you can go back.” Rachel rolled her eyes. “Wow. Now that’s hella dark, Mr. Price.” He winked at her. “Why so formal to your almost father-in-law, Rachel?” This was getting more surreal by the minute. “The thing is that you weren’t meant to die like that, especially not so young. So you have been offered the opportunity to go back, and try and finally make shit right.” What was that supposed to mean? “So you mean that I’m not going to that Vortex Club party?” Rachel inquired and Chloe rolled her eyes. “Damn, Rach, I should have totally gotten you into some more nerdy movies. It’s never that easy.”

 

William smiled at his daughter, who had changed so much. Short, blue hair and tattoos was one thing - but she gave off the vibe of being an adult now, something Rachel surely was to blame for. “You’d go back to the day you first met, in fact. But when I say make stuff right, I mean that for most people, not just you - yes, even David and James.” Chloe closed her eyes, sighing, annoyed at the prospect of likely having to be nice and somewhat pleasant to step-douche, but if you tortured her, she would admit he was good for her mother. Maybe.

 

Rachel was already two steps ahead of this madness, her brain running in overdrive. “But...that would mean we forget - everything.” Forgetting the night when she started the fire, admitting her feelings to Chloe. Forgetting _The Tempest_. Forgetting the way how nervous she was when she had her first kiss in the middle of an empty street with Chloe. Forgetting the first time they had sex and the countless other times that followed. Forgetting Chloe’s laughter; her smiles; the way she held her late at night... Forgetting that she loved the punk with every fibre of her heart.

 

“Yeah, you would, both of you would forget the last three-and-a-half years. But, since you are meant to be, this is the least to worry about. You’ll make these memories once more; and a lot more.” It was a difficult choice, wasn’t it? They would have to go through so much more shit. “I feel like we have to do it, though. I mean...I made David’s life hell and you didn’t even speak to your family anymore.” Rachel took a deep breath to settle herself. “If that is what you want, Chloe, I’m in.” William nodded. “Just as I thought. You get one gift for your journey - one thing of your choice that you will remember. Or rather…feel it.”

 

One thing? That was hard. Chloe contemplate some lottery winning number for a moment, or maybe all the scores in the NFL year: Whatever she could use for quick money; to get both of them the hell out of Arcadia Bay. Or maybe the knowledge that David and her mother were good for each other? Perhaps...yes...Wells’ secret alcohol stash. That bit of blackmailing could be total fun to use!

 

Beside her, Rachel also thought about it. But no matter what she thought of - her love for Chloe; that her father was wrong but probably just desperate; that Damon would hurt her...yet… “Rach, why the deep sigh?” Chloe’s voice was full of concern. She hoped she hadn’t gone against the blonde’s wishes when she announced they would go back. “There is just...I wouldn’t want to forget about us, actually. But I don’t feel like this is what we would need. In fact, there is only one thing we need to remember, more than anything: Arcadia Bay will kill us both if we don’t get out of it as soon as possible _._ ”

 

“Now that’s pretty dark”, William replied, but he knew that this was probably the best they could choose. “Rach, are you sure about that?” Glancing at Chloe’s father before looking back at her girlfriend, the blonde woman nodded. “Yes. I know that we’ll work our relationship out. There isn’t a world, timeline or universe where I wouldn’t love you, Chloe Elizabeth Price.” Completely ignoring the presence of her father next to them, the punk grabbed her girlfriend to kiss her for what might be the last time in a while. “I love you, too. More than my own life”, the blue-haired woman whispered when they finally let go, the need to catch air becoming overwhelming.

 

“Dad...I also love you”, Chloe murmured, tearing her eyes away from Rachel. “I know, sweetheart. And I’ll always be with you. In there.” He pointed to her heart. “Be kind to yourself, sweetie.” Getting up, he placed a quick kiss on his daughter’s beanie before looking at Rachel. “Be good to her, will you? Take care of her for me.” He turned around, humming _Burning the Midnight Oil_ , before slowly walking into the darkness. They were good for each other, he had decided on that fact years ago. And maybe, he might have forgotten to mention that it was one thing of each their choices. There was no way his daughter would suffer alone any longer than she had to.

 

“We’ll do it right, Chloe, I swear it.” “Hells, yeah. This time around, we’ll get that shit right!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to clear up the setting of Blackwell, as I found it somewhat inconsistent in the games:
> 
> Drew is a senior about to graduate.  
> Chloe, Rachel and Steph are sophomore students.  
> Mikey, Dana, Victoria and the rest are all freshmen.  
> Also, the extended senior programm is fully optional in this story.
> 
> The first two chapters will cover the events of Before of Storm and stick very closely to the game/in-game dialogue, with a few minor and major differences. But the real canon divergence begins on the morning after The Tempest. It will mostly stick with Rachel's or Chloe's point of view, but Max will also be featured at a later point.


	2. Burning up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Life Is Strange. If I did, Amberprice would be the endgame.
> 
> Since the year is coming to a close, I wanted to put this chapter up. Most of you will find it very similar to Episode 1 of Before the Storm and that is intentional. These events have to happen after all, but with a slight twist. Maybe it's easier to not take someone's head off if you feel unexplainable connected to her, after all. Enjoy.

 

“So, Rachel, you want come to my sleepover?” Lifting her head, Rachel Amber blinked twice. Hmm? What? _It seems I zoned out for a while. Weird. I try to avoid that in public._ She looked around, disorientated for a second. Blackwell Academy at its most annoying, it seemed; people sucking up to her to get her attention, as usual. _Why does that have to be me? Why can’t I just find a good, genuine friend? Someone who likes me for who I am, as opposed to the way I look._ Of course, she would never let anyone know that thought. “Oh, I am sorry, Taylor. I already have some plans for the evening.” Luckily, that wasn’t even a lie. Tonight was a night she had been looking forward to for weeks - one of her favourite bands, Firewalk, was playing a show at the Old Mill. And she was going to be there.

 

Sneaking from her bedroom had been surprisingly easy tonight. Her mother had lain down pretty early - having a headache due to the changing weather - and her father was eating with a few colleagues from work. Slipping the bouncer a 10$ note with her sweetest smile, Rachel took the steps up and entered the Old Mill, only to be hit by the impulse to linger a moment longer. Why? She couldn’t quite say that; but she decided to follow her intuition, grabbing a bottle of beer and waiting, as a familiar face came into view.

 

 _Is that Chloe? Chloe Price? From school?_ A teenage girl with a hoodie had arrived, and she obviously had the same destination like Rachel. Deciding to stay just a little while longer, the blonde teenager eavesdropped on her and the bouncer, not getting much information; but enough. “Isn’t it past your bedtime?” “Well, isn’t it past yours?” She couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. They didn’t really know each other at school, with Chloe being the absence queen of Blackwell, but Rachel suspected the other girl probably hated her for being the an effortless straight-A student.

 

It was a shame, since not only seemed Chloe as eager to leave this city as she was - almost impossible - but she evidently also was into good music. Silently studying the determined ocean blue eyes, Rachel kept listening. “A girl like you, with pretty, pretty flowers on her bicycle shouldn’t lecture me on what I can do.” Surprisingly, the student found herself blush a little as she studied the other girl more closely. _What is going on here? We never even talked at school._  Shaking her head, Rachel drank another sip of the beer and decided to head to the stage. Maybe they would talk later tonight.

 

Switch the word _maybe_ to _definitely_. Any person simply cannot run a shitty high school like Blackwell without being prepared for literally everything, so Rachel had years of training her peripheral vision. Why wasn’t Price coming? Hmm. The two skeevy assholes that shouted at her a few minutes ago were going upstairs all of a sudden. _Should I take a look…?_ Deciding to check what was going on - her curiosity always got the better of her - Rachel moved up to the first floor as well. She was overwhelmed, all of a sudden, when she placed her foot on the lowest step. The title of a Stephen King story came to her mind – “That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French”. _Why does it feel as if this happened to me before? Am I having some déjà vu of sorts?_

 

Banishing that thought, she made her way upstairs. _What is going on here?_ These two idiots were obviously trying to attack her classmate. “Hey, dickhead!” Thankfully that was all they needed, as Chloe ducked past the weirder guy and hurried to her side. As she saw the man trying to follow her classmate, Rachel took aim and threw her empty beer bottle across the room. _Perhaps baseball might be a suitable career for me as well._ Hadn’t he complained about beer earlier? Well, there he was, no thanks needed. “Rachel?” No time for Smalltalk. “Come on!”

 

Running down the old, creaky stairs - surely they wouldn’t try to hurt or kill them downstairs with dozens of people around - Rachel couldn’t help but notice that she was holding hands with Chloe Price. While running past some man Chloe seemed to know, her brain decided to think of the hand holding, rather than the possible danger they were in. The other girl’s skin was so warm, the grip exactly firm enough...and Rachel’s palm fit into hers as if it belonged there. _It seems that Blackwell and Arcadia Bay finally managed it. I am officially going insane._ Yet there was a more important task at hand: Get to the stage and enjoy the show!

 

Sneaking back into her house was just as easy as sneaking out before. Taking off her shoes even before the door, Rachel was going to tiptoe to her room in the dark. It wasn’t the first time she was walking around here late at night; Rachel had snuck out to see the stars; catch some fresh air; watch the Pacific Ocean shimmer in the pale, silver light of the moon before. _Practice truly makes perfect_ , the blonde student thought as she made her way across the living room, only to be interrupted by a telephone vibrating.

 

 _Weird._ Who would write her father a message at such a time? Her curiosity getting the better of her yet again, Rachel moved over to the kitchen area and peaked at the message without opening it. _What the hell? Why would my dad meet someone with an unknown number at the Overlook Park today? Huh, maybe that’s what he was hiding? I got to make sure I am there_.

 

Closing the door to her room behind her, Rachel switched her clothes and climbed into bed, grabbing her phone. The picture was wonderful, a memory of a hella awesome night. She quickly uploaded it on some social media account - fuck everyone, this was the life she enjoyed, loved and wanted more than anything, not some forced sleepover with one of Victoria’s favourite freshmen minions. Deep inside, something else stirred as she looked at the teenager at her side. Chloe Price - school delinquent, want-to-be punk, total badass and with that aura Rachel wouldn’t forget anytime soon.

 

She was an enigma, for sure, but one Rachel would want to uncover. Perhaps she could find out a few other things along that way, too: Why Rachel couldn’t stop thinking of the way their hands fit together; the way Chloe smelled of tobacco and fresh grass; the way her heart rate accelerated every time the older girl smiled at her. _Hm._ _Maybe I can somehow get Chloe to skip school with me this morning and head to the Overlook…_

 

Thank god for the small fortunate things in life, as Victoria Chase headed off to the camping tables. She shouldn’t hang out here in this abandoned classroom, waiting for Chloe Price to arrive while wearing her costume for the play tomorrow. _So not creepy, Amber._ After all, there was a not-so-small chance that Chloe would decide to skip school on her own today anyway. Yet the universe seemed to be on her side for once – she unexpectedly heard fractions of a heated discussion between Chloe and football player Drew North. Apparently, Chloe was standing up for Nathan Prescott. Fighting for someone she didn’t even like? Damn, Chloe Price was the real deal. And if Rachel had her way, she would be _her_ deal sooner rather than later.

 

Making it seem like total chance - _go for it, Amber, your acting skills are finally paying off_ \- she was standing at the main entrance the moment Chloe reached out and pushed the door open for her. Shooting a brilliant smile in the other girl’s direction, Rachel grabbed her hand. “Good! You’re here!” Chloe didn’t try to protest or pull her hand away, which Rachel considered a good sign as she pulled her down the hall to the drama lab.

 

* * *

 

 

Waking up on this day in May was probably one of the weirdest experiences for Chloe Price, badass Blackwell Academy delinquent. Reaching over to the left side of her bed, she grabbed her package of cigarettes and lit on, trying to come to terms with last night. While Firewalk was fucking amazing - the best damn show she had ever seen - the most surprising thing was seeing it with _Rachel Amber_. The blonde princess of Blackwell had saved her from these douchebags and hadn’t let go of her hand for a while that could be considered longer than entirely socially appropriate. _I can’t believe that this was even real._

 

“Damn. Sounds like I am totally crushing on her”, the teen whispered and inhaled some more nicotine to calm herself down. Well, how could she not? Rachel was the epitome of perfection at school, and it seemed she also had the best taste in music and a soft spot for the school outsiders. Also, her eyes - Chloe might have stared at these hazel eyes for quite some time last night, and whenever their gazes met, she felt as if she was burning. She didn’t expect any acknowledgement from Rachel at school today, though. School sucked, anyway.

 

Unfortunately, the teenager had spent a little too much time pondering over her newest...erm...crush? Love interest? Possible friend? Sighing, she went to her dresser and pulled out fresh underwear, socks, and a white t-shirt with Hawd Dawg Man on it. She changed quickly, before heading over to her notebook, only to see that fucking Victoria Chase had commented on a photo she was tagged in? “What the hell?” she murmured, following the link.

 

 _I have feelings about this. Most of them are not good feelings._ Apparently, Rachel had posted one of the pictures she took of them last night, one arm wrapped around Chloe, the other holding the mobile phone. _So much for Rachel Amber not acknowledging my existence_. Damn it. She shouldn’t be that happy seeing the way Rachel’s arm was casually draped around her shoulders, or her almost infectious smile. Getting up, she groaned. Where the fuck was her mobile phone?

 

 _What a damn fucking morning and school hasn’t even started yet._ Her mom tearing in her because she hadn’t been sneaky enough this morning; driving to school with dickhole David; Eliot - who was becoming more desperate for her attention by the day - wanting to go to _The Tempest_ with her...on a more positive note, she still kicked ass in Dungeons And Dragons and casually pissing Victoria Chase off - who knew she hated Rachel Amber that much? - was always fun. After biting her tongue in the car with David, she couldn’t help but start arguing with Drew North. Well, of course fucking little Prescott didn’t even thank her. What. An. Idiot. Looking up at the uninviting bricks of Blackhell, Chloe sighed deeply. _Here goes nothing_. Until she reached out to open the door, only to see these already familiar hazel eyes in front of her: Rachel’s eyes.

 

“Good! You’re here!” That totally caught her off guard, she couldn’t recall the last time someone was this happy to see her. Was Rachel really holding her hand again? And where exactly was she dragging her? They finally stopped at the drama lab. Chloe supposed that this would make sense, after all Rachel was wearing a costume. Walking in, she stopped Mr. Keaton, the drama teacher, from tearing into Hayden. “Mr. Keaton? Sorry to interrupt, but does this look better? I had my mom take it in a bit.” _Rachel looks awesome…_ Where was this coming from? And she totally shouldn’t invite Chloe to stare at her like this.

 

Surprisingly, Rachel didn’t seem to mind at all, as she gave the elder girl a suggestive wink. _This is getting as surreal as last night._ Who cared what they were discussing? Chloe rather took the opportunity to let her eyes wander up and down Rachel’s body in what she hoped was a casual way. Hearing Rachel’s voice brought her back to reality, though. “Yeah, that is hard. We’ve talked about that line forever. We need a fresh perspective.” Slowly walking over, she reached out, touching Chloe again, gently pulling her forward with one hand positioned on her lower back.

 

“The question is: are Miranda’s feelings of instant passion for Ferdinand just inexperience and dramatic circumstances or...has she actually just met the love of her life?” What the hell was going on here? While the question was so nonchalantly posed to her, Chloe couldn’t help but wonder whether there was some deeper meaning behind it. Rachel’s tone was a little too casual after all; her eyes shining a little too brightly. Gulping; feeling her heart beat faster, Chloe was unsure what to say. Stick to her usual boldness? Or maybe play the game with Rachel? “What do you think?” _Shit. Rachel wants an answer from me…_

 

“Sometimes, when you meet someone who’s going to change your life, you just know it, I guess…” _Jackpot_. Her tone was just as casual as Rachel’s and Chloe took a chance by locking her gaze with the other girl’s. The ‘challenge accepted’ was so evident on Rachel’s face that Chloe did an inward fist bump. Remembering the other three people in the room, she continued talking. “Also, you’ve got parents coming to see the show, right? At twenty bucks a ticket it’s got to be true love.” _Perfect_. Dana thanked her for the insight and nobody besides Rachel had noted anything. _Impressed Rachel? Check. Came off as totally cool? Double-check._

 

After Mr. Keaton, Dana and Hayden left, Chloe found herself staring at these impressive hazel eyes once more. _Brilliant. We’ve just met last night and I am already head over heels for her._ “I’ll just be a minute”, Rachel excused herself, heading to the changing room. _Okay...so why am I here again? Hm. Maybe she wants me to grab something for her. Like…her belt?_ Almost as if she had an afterthought, Rachel turned back to her. “Oh, could you grab my belt for me? I think it’s in my bag over there.” Dumbfounded, Chloe nodded. “Uh, yeah, sure.” As surreal as last night? This had begun to surpass last night by far. _How did I know this? Okay, whatever…get the belt, don’t say any stupid shit and don’t, like, fall down. Should be doable, right?_

 

Carefully, she knelt down in front of Rachel’s bag, first looking at a photo she found. The Rachel in the picture was younger, perhaps nine or ten years old; and the man next to her was most likely her father. Putting that photo back, Chloe grabbed the belt and headed over to the changing room, giving the fake weapons an impressed nod. Not wanting to overstep her boundaries, Chloe cleared her throat. “Uh...Rachel? Is this your belt?” _Awesomely done, Price. As if she carried five other belts around with her._ Just peeking around the folding screen, Rachel grinned at her. “Yes. Thank you.”

 

So the younger girl obviously didn’t grab the belt. How could she be so good at unbalancing Chloe? What was she supposed to do? _Damn it. But if she wants to play, we’ll play. Also, who would throw a belt over a room divider? Even I am not that bad. Unless that was Victoria, of course._ Desperately trying not to stare too much at Rachel’s barely covered upper body, Chloe looked at the belt instead. “I really liked your costume.” It was a good thing to say, an innocent compliment. But then the younger girl turned around to look at her with these damn burning eyes again. “Thanks.” Still not grabbing that belt, though.

 

“So, did you bring flowers for my dressing room?” _Could you just put on a shirt?_ Had Rachel even the slightest idea of what she was doing to Chloe right now? _I have the feeling she knows full well what she’s doing._ “Um...I guess I owe you?” _Wow. Nice, Price. Since when do I stutter so fucking much?_ Nodding, Rachel replied “I’ll hold you to that.” Finally stretching out her hand to grab the belt, Chloe handed it over. “I’ll let you finish changing now.”

 

* * *

 

 

Rachel knew she wasn’t playing fair. But she had to test the waters, had to see whether Chloe was willing to go on board with this ship. Reaching out to touch the other girl’s back, she wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Luckily, Chloe seemed to lean into her touch, as she pulled her forward. Dana was a really nice girl, but not quite used to subtlety. Hayden was also nice, but currently going over the forgotten lines in his head. Mr. Keaton was still contemplating the screen in the background, unsure of the design even on the day before the show. _None of them will notice._

 

So she went for it. “The question is: are Miranda’s feelings of instant passion for Ferdinand just inexperience and dramatic circumstances or...has she actually just met the love of her life?” _What the hell am I doing here? But flirting with Chloe feels far too right to ever stop; unless she would want me to._ Shooting an expectant look at the taller girl, Rachel waited for the answer.

 

“Sometimes, when you meet someone who’s going to change your life, you just know it, I guess…” Their eyes met halfway through that sentence and the ocean blue orbs held too much emotion to fake it. _Why, it does seem I am hella lucky._ _That awkward conversation might be coming up - well, Dad, Mom, I just wanted to let you know that I’m gay. Also, this is Chloe, my girlfriend._ Not yet, though. But if Chloe made no intention on stopping the flirting, instead, actually encouraging it, there was a window of opportunity for Rachel; and she wouldn’t miss that.

 

Before anyone else besides these two could figure out the hidden meaning, Chloe added something sarcastic and Rachel had to bite her tongue. The roguish student was very good at making this stuff up immediately; she was almost as good at this as Rachel herself. What set them apart though were the years of practicing to make up bullshit like that from the spot without so much as a twitch of the eye. From what she had found out about Chloe, everything changed when her father died in a car crash two years ago; which started her path of school delinquency and lies. Rachel had gotten used to lying about ten years ago. Her parents did care for her, no doubt of that, but never knew that while her daughter was great at making new acquaintances, she was awful at finding a genuine friend who truly cared for her beyond her perfect mask. _Would you be up for the task of seeing the real me, Chloe Price?_

 

“I’ll just be a minute”, Rachel told her fellow Firewalk fan, before deciding to push Chloe a little bit further. Heading over to the dressing room, she turned her head over, casually asking for her help. “Oh, could you grab my belt for me? I think it’s in my bag over there.” Since Rachel was pretty sure that Chloe would agree to bring it, she simply walked further, hearing an “Uh, yeah, sure.” behind her. _Score, Amber._

 

Slowly taking off her costume, she deliberately avoided putting on her shirt, doing everything else before, including lacing her Converse. _Would you mind hurrying up slightly, Chloe? I can only avoid getting dressed for so long, before it comes off as...erm...intentional_. Thankfully, the other girl had entered the dressing room. “Uh...Rachel? Is this your belt?” Just peeking around the folding screen, Rachel grinned at her. “Yes. Thank you.”

 

She made no move at all to grab this belt, hoping that Chloe would come a little bit closer to her. Today was really her lucky day, it seemed, as the other girl actually made her way over to her side of the room divider. Even if Rachel hadn’t heard the steps, she would have felt the way Chloe’s eyes roamed over her. _Just like intended. I think._ Perhaps she was manipulative again right then, but with that irrational pull she felt towards the blue-eyed girl, there wasn’t really any other option for her.

 

“I really liked your costume.” Once again, Chloe proved herself to be nearly as skilled at hiding her thoughts as Rachel. Yet the slight dilatation of her pupils gave the older teenager away. “Thanks.” Letting Chloe squirm for a few moments more, Rachel started some smalltalk. “So, did you bring flowers for my dressing room?” She was just kidding, of course. Flowers were nice and all, but not what Rachel wanted from her. “Um...I guess I owe you?” Chloe Price, the most infamous Blackwell rebel being shy was hella brilliant. “I’ll hold you to that.” Releasing Chloe from her struggle, Rachel grabbed her belt and smiled. “I’ll let you finish changing now.”

 

Fastening her belt, pulling on her black/red t-shirt and her favourite blue flannel in about seven seconds, Rachel walked out, putting her bracelet over her right hand again. “Chloe Price.” She sounded much calmer than she actually felt, being so close to the other teen. But from the little information she had on Chloe, she would have to find the perfect balance between cool and sexy to impress her. Damn it. Not the easiest task for someone who - despite some really annoying rumours due to Victoria - hadn’t even had her first kiss yet. “Rachel Amber?” _It seems to me that we might be equally useless at this game, Price._

 

Crossing her arms as cool as possible, Rachel walked up to her companion and gave her a dazzling smile. “Last night was amazing!” _That’s right. Just playing it safe._ And it was probably a good thing to say anyway, as the older teen managed to reply without a stutter. “I’d never seen Firewalk live. Pretty fierce show.” “We’ll have to do it again.” _Okay, calm down. I sound way too enthusiastic about this._ Deciding to put her heart on her sleeves, the blonde Cali girl continued. “To tell the truth, I went to bed last night wishing it never had to end.” What exactly? The concert? Holding hands with Chloe? Seeing her smile and laugh so carefree? _Fuck. I am in way over my head already. I got to concentrate on the task at hand._ “But then I thought, why? Why does it have to end?” Automatically, her left hand went to her hair, making sure it was tucked in perfectly behind her ear in her signature displacement activity.

 

The reply came quickly and it made her heart beat faster. _She will be the death of me._ “Maybe it doesn’t. Have to end.” _Perfect, Price. Seems like you are totally heading into the same direction._ “Exactly!” And still, she was way too excited. Hopefully the taller girl would not manage to grasp that. Pushing her luck even further, Rachel tilted her head to the side. “How would you like to join me on a little field trip?” _Please, be in a ditching mood._ “Fuck, yes! I was born to ditch.” Just what Rachel had hoped for...or rather, dared to hope for. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Between posting that photo of them and falling asleep, Rachel had looked up the best way to get to the meeting point at the Overlook National Park. In the end, hopping on some freight train might be their best option, so she led the way to some train tracks that would pass the park in their course. _What is happening here?_ Whatever was going on between her and Chloe probably belonged into the world of William Shakespeare, where true love at the first sight was a real possibility.

 

“You sure you don’t want to just grab the bus, or…” _I bet we’re both broke anyway._ “Nope. If we’re gonna go rogue, we’re doing it right.” There was also a more obvious advantage of taking the train – they would be alone, free to talk without interruptions, without anyone listening in on them. Bumping Chloe’s shoulder, she ran down to the approaching freight train. “Well?” Chloe had every right to be wondering about their activities. Skipping school was not a usual thing for Rachel. Nonetheless, the older girl followed her down the hill and into the train car.

 

Without hesitating, she helped Chloe up, assuming she was deliberate in that action. But who was she to talk about that after avoiding putting on her shirt for a good five minutes. “Where does this thing go?” It was unexpected, to be sure. Well, it wasn’t that she knew how Chloe spent her time skipping school, but obviously walking around aimlessly wasn’t part of it. “North? Maybe we’ll end up in Seattle.” A flash of hurt was barely visible in Chloe’s eyes when she heard the name of the city in Washington State. _Note to myself: Avoid this city around her. Also, find out why._

 

Very casually leaning back on a crate – finally, Drama studies paying off – Rachel studied her fellow student. “Pull up a chair, Price. The view’s amazing.” It didn’t take Chloe long to do that, sitting down across her. Surprisingly enough, the taller girl seemed to be tense, unsure. That was new for sure; Chloe was praised – behind her back – and hated – by Victoria Chase – for her witty responses to all situations.

 

“It’s nice Rachel we’re having.” _She didn’t just say that, did she?_ Rachel couldn’t help but grin at that very unsubtle statement. “What?” This was probably not the right time to make a joke, so she simply gave her companion the opportunity to correct it. “I mean, weather! It’s nice weather.” Breaking the eye contact – she did notice the way Chloe shuffled uncomfortably – Rachel looked at the passing forest. “It sure is.”

 

Looking back at Chloe, she gave her a measuring look. “It’s kind of weird that we’re hanging out.” _I didn’t just say that, did I? Well. Fuck._ “You mean because I don’t really hang out with anyone and I don’t have any friends?” What? Feeling her hands becoming slightly sweaty, Rachel protested. _This is so not working as intended._ “You have friends.” She was pretty sure of that. After all, Chloe was regularly hanging out with the skaters, mostly Justin and Trevor. She was friendly with Skip Matthews from the security as well, and Steph Gingrich could also be seen talking pleasantly with Chloe. “Well, I used to. Friend, singular. Her name is Max, but she left for greener, more northern pastures.”

 

 _Seattle mystery solved already. Surely, this was quicker than I thought it would be._ This statement reminded her so much of her own life that she couldn’t help but cringe. “That sucks.” Alright, forget the drama club. She needed to stop acting like that. She sounded hella awful. Fortunately, Chloe seemed to be a fellow member of that club and didn’t mind it too much. “Hey, so…I want to say thanks.” _Maybe I can cheer her up a bit._ “For pulling you out of school?” Her reward was an exaggerated roll of Chloe’s eyes. “No, dummy. Thanks for last night.” “Ah.” Wow, _I am hella eloquent today._ “If you hadn’t shown up..” _We wouldn’t have talked? I wouldn’t have gotten so easily to the point of holding your hand? We wouldn’t have had such a brilliant time together?_ Playing it cool was the way to go, she decided, voicing this weird train of thought.

 

“Assholes abound in Arcadia Bay.” There was something…suddenly. It reminded her of last night, but didn’t. Yes, it was comparable to the sudden, overwhelming need to get to know Chloe Price; but this was the need to run. To get the hell out of here. Ever since her parents moved to this horribly city, she had wanted to leave and go back to California. But the sudden chill was new. _Arcadia Bay is dangerous. I have no idea why, but I can feel it. God, I am really losing my mind, I think. We have to get out of here for real, the sooner the better._ “I owe you, that’s for sure.” For the tiniest fraction of a moment, so fleeting Rachel almost missed it, there was something flashing in these ocean blue eyes. Recognition, perhaps? Or was it…fear? _Chloe knows it, but doesn’t know it, too. We’re in this together, that’s maybe the only thing I do know by now._

 

“Is that why you came along?” Posing this question was unnecessary, as both of them already knew the answers and it wasn’t that. Karma…Fate…Destiny…whatever people fancy calling it. “Are you suggesting I would need a reason to ditch school?” Some low chuckle was added in this sentence, brightening the mood again a bit. “I bet you’re wondering what we’re doing.” An unspoken agreement to try and keep the dark thoughts away, for the while being at least. “The thought occurred, yeah.” _I should ask Chloe for some help in perfecting my ‘coolness act’. She seems like a natural professional in that regard._

 

“Well…I wanted some company.” _Your company, specifically._ “That’s it?” “That’s it.” Well, not quite, but close enough. “Try again. I’m going to need more to go on than that.” Rachel sighed inwardly at this - maybe close enough was not enough for the other girl. “Joy rides with me aren’t fun?” “Joy rides to where, again?” _Persistent. I do like that quality for sure._ “Life needs a little mystery, Chloe.” Chloe’s incredulous look was there for a moment, before she shook her head slightly, dropping it.

 

Acting before Chloe could bring that topic up again; Rachel moved to sit on the floor, next to the other teenager. “Let’s do something fun.” _Oh, man. Innuendo, here we go._ “V-Card’s been punched, Rachel. I’m sorry.” _And this is where we go way past innuendo. Not that I mind, but well, it was unexpected. Is she even single? I think so? Should I ask her? Probably not yet, I don’t want to come off as too interested in her._ “Wow!”

 

“Too far?” _Was that an offer, Chloe Price? You’re so killing me already…_ “Well, I don’t know.” And perhaps she didn’t. Rachel wouldn’t tell that to her partner in crime, but she had just achieved something ultra-rare: Making Rachel speechless, even for a moment. “Okay, something fun. I’m all ears.” Was there a tiny hint of surprise hidden in these words? Had Chloe expected her to answer with a “Yes”? Hells, that wouldn’t happen for sure.

 

“Two truths and a lie.” _Let’s see what useful information I can get out of you, Chloe Price._ “What?” Obviously, she had forgotten that this was Arcadia Bay. Rachel had never found anyone in this forbidden town that knew the stuff they used to do in the drama club in her school in Long Beach. “I think we should play two truths and a lie. It’s a game where each person offers up three facts about themselves, two of which are the truth and one of which is –“ “A lie?” _Not that difficult to guess, but yeah._ “Right. And then the other person has to guess which is which.” Would Chloe Price fall for this so easily? But then, Rachel would offer some information about herself in turn. So…maybe? “Sounds fun. You’re on.” Also rising from the crate, she sat down next to Rachel on the floor.

 

“I’ll start. First, I am ambidextrous.” That one was true. While she wasn’t as fast when writing with her left hand, she could use it well enough. _Gonna lie next._ “Second, I was born in New York, the land of fashion and Broadway, to which I will one day return when my heinous exile here in Arcadia Bay comes to an end.” _Sooner, rather than later, I hope. And perhaps you’d like to leave with me, Price. But I probably won’t go to NYC, but somewhere sunnier._ “New York, huh? I’ve never been.” _Me neither, Chloe. Maybe you can guess that._ “Not a world traveller?” She wouldn’t reveal her lie that easily. “Not yet, at least.”

 

“If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Russia, Greece…Kathmandu?” _Does it matter though? Any place would be better than Arcadia Bay._ Yet she hoped Chloe would also like to see the world, experience as many different places and cultures as possible. “Kathmandu?” _Score._ “One day, I’m going to climb Everest.” This was something she had dreamt about ever since she had been on her first hiking trip with her dad. Standing on the roof of the world; more than 8000 metres up high. Yet for the first time, she could picture someone at her side.

 

“What’s your third thing?” “My third thing?” Damn. It was so easy to get lost in thought when staring at these ocean blue eyes. Almost embarrassing for Rachel, considering that she was the one who had started that game. “Two truths and a lie. You say three things –“ _Something true. Fast. Thank god I had all those stuff on improvisation in theatre class._ “Right! I’m a Leo. Meow.” She even imitated a paw with her hand to underline that statement.

 

“Okay, so…ambidextrous, born in New York, and a Leo. Gotcha.” “So which is the lie?” Rachel was curious to see whether Chloe could read her. Or at least, guess correctly. “You seem more like a Cali girl to me.” _That obvious, ey?_ “Damn, Price, not bad! Long Beach, in fact. West coast is the best coast.” _And I am so looking forward to get back there._ “I’ve only ever lived in Oregon, so nothing to compare it to, I guess.” _Shall I go for it? Hm, yeah, I feel like Chloe wouldn’t mind some more flirting._

 

“Then we’ll have to change that one day, won’t we?” _Good. Casually dropping in some ‘we’._ Feeling no protest from the other girl, Rachel moved a little closer to her, so close they could almost touch – or kiss. “Okay, your turn, Price.” She liked how that name felt on her tongue. And she had to make sure that she managed to avoid making any joke like “Wanna be my Price, Price?”

 

“First fact. Right…” _Let’s see how much she trusts me._ “I used to want to be a pirate when I grow up. I kind of still do.” Hm. That sounded very much like a dream most kids had. So, one more truth and one lie to go. “Arrrrr.” _I totally didn’t do that, did I?_ Okay. No reaction is probably better than being laughed at. “I love science.” Obviously, that was one of the moments in which a lifted eyebrow might be better than any vocal reply. “Seriously. I think Neil deGrasse Tyson is the shit.” More difficult than the last statement, for sure, but Chloe did sound like she had pronounced that name more often than just this once. “Huh.”

 

“I once broke my hand punching Stephanie Kowalski in fifth grade.” “No way.” _That just has to be the lie._ ”Bitch took my Yoo-hoo. Knocked her the fuck out.” Hmm. That sudden hand movement brought something else to Rachel’s attention, though. “I see you like to write notes to yourself.” _This is really sweet and something to file away for later. Hmm. I wonder if I’ll ever see my name written on that palm._ “Helps me stay focused.” Focused, ey? “Also, sweet scar.”

 

“You’re hella mysterious, Chloe Price.” Slowly, Rachel grabbed the one hand that had supposedly hit Stephanie Kowalski, studying the scar. Or rather, she acted as if studied the scar, only wanting to touch the hand again. The warmth and smoothness were exactly like she remembered them from the early morning hours. “Uh, hella? Who says that?” _Good to know that Chloe is wondering more about this than why I am holding her hand again. Not that I could explain that irrational need to touch her to her…_ “It’s a Cali thing. Anyway, I think I have your number. Of course you wanted to be a pirate. Sail the open seas…” Chloe interjected: “Buckle swash…” “Plunder secret treasure…”

 

Another interruption, and this time the blonde Cali girl couldn’t help but laugh. “Did I mention my love of booty?” In this moment, she decided that Chloe Price was adorable. Where had this girl been all her life? “So, pirate? Obviously true.” A daring smile appeared on Chloe’s face. “Maybe you’d like to be my first mate.” Whoa. _Yeah. We are both playing the same game for sure._ “Oh, are you accepting applications?” With a calm nod, Chloe replied. “Considering it.”

 

It was time to move on to the second statement, the one Rachel wasn’t quite sure about. Yet she had heard about awesome scientists that hated school before, so she decided to go for truth. “Okay, you say you love science, but you are failing chemistry.” Thinking of chemistry…Rachel might have overheard a discussion between Ms. Hoida and Ms. Grant one day, in which the science teacher mentioned how much she wished that Chloe would stop wasting her intelligence. “You’re saying failing chemistry means I hate science?”

 

There was something in the way Chloe said that, some mixture of sassiness and pride, as if she was sure that Rachel would call this statement a lie. “Or that Blackwell doesn’t inspire your best work.” _We should leave this school behind as fast as we can. I am pretty sure I can live without that extended senior program. The faster we leave the better._ “Well…sure.” “It’s not for everyone, I get that.” _It’s not for me, either, actually. But I am probably just the better actress._ “Anyway, school sucks but you love science. I’m gonna say true.” Two down, one more to go.

 

“Now about this broken hand story.” _Time to uncover your lie, Price._ “It’s not that I don’t think you could knock Stephanie Kowalski out. A bitch takes your Yoo-hoo, she’s gotta get got.” “Damn straight.” _Straight? Hm, I don’t think I can ever call myself that again. Not after seeing you last night, Price._ “But you didn’t get that scar from punching someone.” A hint of amusement flickered in the blue orbs. _Gotcha._ “No?” A little too innocent, a little too nonchalant. Yep, she had definitely identified that lie correctly. ”That scar is from a distal radius fracture.” _I know that, because it also happened to me._ “How could you possibly know that?” Was she reading her mind? But, well, couldn’t hurt to tell the truth.

 

“I broke my wrist when I was ten.” “Ah.” A slight smirk tucked at the corners of Rachel’s mouth. It was fascinating to see how many different emotions could be uttered in a single word. Seemingly, the older girl was slightly annoyed and wished she had picked another lie. “The thing is, I know that scar you’ve got comes from breaking your wrist when you fall…like from a skateboard?” Yes, that probably was a wild guess, but Chloe did hang out with Justin and Trevor a lot, so she might be into skateboarding as well. Her “Yeah” sounded obviously surprised, and Rachel pushed her luck a bit further. “I’d guess…six years ago?” A defiant smile on her face and a mischievous gleam in her eyes, Chloe opened her mouth to reply, almost smugly. “Seven.”

 

“Well, shit. I always thought I was a good liar.” Now she was definitely amused, smiling at Rachel. Tilting her head to the side, measuring her chances, Rachel simply decided to go for it. “Good thing you’re pretty.” There; she’s said it now. Moving back to sit closer to Chloe, Rachel bumped her shoulder by total accident – at least she would claim so if asked. “So, if my math is correct, you told me two truths and one lie.” Yes, Chloe did bump her back. _Double score._ “What? You expected me to cheat?” Hmmm. Possibly, yes. “Winners make their own rules, Chloe.” Not that this was something new for the brown-haired teenager.

 

“You are crazy good at this game.” Well, for that smile they could play it again and again and again and Rachel would make sure that she would get any statement sorted correctly. “A lifetime of studying the human condition,” Rachel explained, with a broad smile on her face. Not only was the smile broad, it was also genuine. _How can someone I’ve just met make me this happy?_ “I bet it’s hard to impress Chloe Price. I’m going to feel good about that one.” Their gazes met, deep ocean blue and almost burning hazel, and Rachel was about to lean in for her first kiss when Chloe looked away. _So more talking, then. Fuck._

 

Maybe some elaborating on this? Yeah, that might work. “When your dad is the District Attorney, I guess lying is…something you’re used to.” _At least I managed to evade your question without having to lie too much._ “Seriously?” “Seriously.” Good to know that one person in this awful town hadn’t even heard the name James Amber so far. “I know who to call if I need to get out of a ticket, then. Not that I have a ride of my own. Car first, embarrassing number of moving violations second.”

 

 _Alright. Time to get this conversation back on track._ “Hey, thanks for trusting me.” “Trusting you?” _Are you daring me right now, Chloe Price?_ “You played the game. And not everyone would admit wanting to be a pirate.” Damn, there was this intense gaze again. _Can we just…you know, kiss? Maybe?_ She had decided to give up fighting that need; a need that was even more overwhelming than getting out of this town as soon as possible. “But eye patches are so cool.” Still not breaking eye contact there. “And rum is delicious. I guess…you opened up a lot. That’s all.” _Price…don’t look away, would you? This is all so messed up right now._ “It’s not a big deal.” Admittedly, that didn’t sound quite right.

 

“Hate to break it to you, but Chloe Price is not exactly renowned throughout Arcadia Bay as a bastion of trust and empathy.” In that moment, Rachel could see it in her companion’s eyes, for the fraction of a second – that overwhelming want to be close to her, as irrationally as it might be. “I’m just not really into touchy-feely shit. But I feel like I can trust you.” Not too bad, actually, not bad at all. “Yeah?” If Rachel had been hoping for something more, she would have been disappointed in that moment. “I got on this train with you, didn’t I?” “Fair point.”

 

 _Okay. We keep staring at each other like crazy. Can we just go for it now? Although the edge of a moving train might not be the best place to make out with Chloe Price, I do admit that._ “Cool bracelet.” “I’ve had it, I guess, since I was a kid in Long Beach. Reminds me that there’s more to experience out there than just Arcadia Bay.” Once more, she was hit by a sudden shudder, perhaps she should get used to this compulsory need to hit the road and get the hell out of this town. “Maybe one day I’ll go back to Long Beach or…anywhere but here. Maybe sooner than later.” Saying that out loud felt weird for her. Usually, she would bite her tongue and put on an act about it. So many people seemed to like living in this horrible small town, and Rachel did not want to offend any of them. Yet Chloe would probably not only appreciate that honesty, but agree with her.

 

 _Triple score._ Indeed, Chloe Price couldn’t help but agree with the blonde teenager. “Me, too. Arcadia Bay can suck a bag of dicks.” _Hella eloquent, Price, but true._ “Sometimes I feel like I’ve got no reason to stay. Don’t be surprised, Chloe, if one day, I’m just out of here.” A surprisingly soft smile appeared on the older girl’s face, and she gave a reassuring nod. “Let me know if you need an accomplice.” Just before Rachel could reply with “You coming with me? Anytime.”, she noticed their surroundings. “Check it out! We’re here!” Surprised by the sudden exclamation, Chloe looked away from her and also looked at the forest. “What? Where is here?” It was just some more trees after all, nothing fancy. Putting on her most daring smile, Rachel replied to her. “Jump and find out!” _I always wanted to jump from a rolling train, time to finally do that._ “Did you say jump?!” Disbelieve was audible in that question, but she was serious after all. “Jump!” And jump they did.

 

* * *

 

 

Overlook Park – or, Culmination State Park, as some called it, was very peaceful on that beautiful spring day. Apparently, Chloe was not used to hiking in her leisure time – not that Rachel would have thought so – but she made it to the viewing point nonetheless. Using the moment of waiting, the blonde girl leaned on the small safety wall, peeking down. There was no sign of her father yet, but she couldn’t be sure. _One of these viewfinders might help to keep watch._ Hopefully one quarter would be enough to get it going.

 

“Hey, it’s actually a pretty nice view.” It sounded a little huffed, though, as Chloe tried to catch her breath. _Some more sport or a few cigarettes less, Price? Hm? Or did my beauty make you speechless?_ “Glad you approve.” _Hopefully we’re talking about me now._ “And as your reward for making it up here, I have a new game for us to play.” Leaning her head to the side, a smile tugged at the corners of the taller girl’s lips. “Another one?” Rachel nodded and smiled in return. “I like games. Deal with it. This is one I learned in theatre class. It’s all about improvisation.”

 

An unreadable look entered these ocean blue eyes. “So far what I’ve learned about you is that you’re into acting, lying, and playing games.” _That hella blows. I mean, it’s true, but when that perfect act is all you have, you gotta act._ “What’s your point?” Unreadable turned into challenging the moment Chloe replied. “That you’re either full of imagination or full of shit.” _Most likely a bit of both, like most people._ “Hmm. Let me know when you figure out which one.”

 

In what she hoped were relaxed steps, she moved over to the older girl and gently dragged her in the direction of the viewfinder. “This game involves spying on people from afar. Luckily, we’ve got some high-tech surveillance equipment right here. Let’s fire it up.” Frowning, Chloe shook her head. “Nah. This damn viewfinder’s broken. The other one will work just fine, though.” Stopping her hand movement mid-air, Rachel tilted her head, surprised. “Are you a psychic now?” _Maybe we both are?_

Looking around in confusion for a moment, Chloe pointed at a note on the floor – Out of order. “Damn, Price, good call. Let’s move over then.” Ignoring the sudden re-ignited unease, the blonde teenager sacrificed her quarter. “Alright, here’s the game. You find some people for us to spy on, and then you and I will act out what they’re saying and thinking.” Easing up a bit, Chloe grinned. “That’s it? I do that in my head during, like, every class.” _That is one totally unsurprising fact about you, Price. Truth be told, though, isn’t that what everyone does?_

  
“See? You’re a natural. Let’s give it a try.” First thing they noticed was some kind of bad art. _Of course the major of Arcadia Bay would go out of her way to find the ugliest statue possible and put it into a beautiful park._ As if she had read Rachel’s mind, Chloe commented on it. “They totally stole my third-grade art project.” “Wow, you made that?” Leaning away from the viewfinder, Rachel noticed that Chloe had just done the same and was looking at her instead. “Can’t you tell?” _I doubt that even your first-grade art project could look as awful as…that, but…_ “It does have a certain ‘gives zero fucks’ quality that I recognize.”

 

Staring back through the viewfinder, Chloe murmured “All right, let’s see…” Hm, there was this hand-holding couple just waiting to be acted out. “Why do we always hold hands like this? Didn’t you tell me you were ambidextrous?” _Holy shit. You didn’t say that, Price, did you?_ Not that Rachel minded this; she was just surprised by the very unsubtle nudge in her direction. “No, I didn’t, I said I was ambisexual.” _And I just didn’t say that, did I? Wow. All the way from ‘not interested in anyone’ to bi-jokes in less than 14 hours. That’s got to be some new world record._ “Oh. So you can have sex with both of your hands?” ”Exactly. Want to see?” Keeping her voice as even as possible, Chloe grinned. “Only if you let go of my hand first.”

 

Noticing a familiar dark suit a little bit further up, Rachel redirected the viewfinder and indeed; her dad had arrived at the scene. Next to her, Chloe was saying something, but her brain didn’t register any of that. All she could do was watch as her father stepped up to some stranger woman…kissing her. Her heartbeat was suddenly way too loud, resonating in her ears; and she felt as if she would start sweating bullets any minute now. _Why? Why, dad? Why do you have to do this to mom and me?_

 

Not wanting to see it anymore, she stepped away from the viewfinder, feeling the rage beginning to kick in. “Hey, are you all right?” _No. I want to go down there and slap some sense into my cheating father._ “What are we doing?” This sounded way more pissed than she had intended, and Chloe did not deserve to be at the receiving end of her temper, it wasn’t her fault. Steadying herself, Rachel added to it quickly, courtesy of years on stage. “Last I checked, you’re supposed to be Chloe Price. Yet we’ve been ditching now for hours and we haven’t even gotten wasted yet. That’s got to be against some school ditching rule.” Still way angrier than she wanted it to sound.

 

Frowning, Chloe gathered herself for a moment. “Uh, hell yeah. The honor student wants to show the school delinquent how to party? Be my guest.” _She shouldn’t joke in such a grave situation. Well, fuck._ “How gracious of you.” Moving over to the picnic area, they saw the silhouettes of two persons sitting there. “They have a bottle of wine”, Chloe whispered before she frowned. “Let’s steal it.” Though, for a moment, Rachel was hit by surprise instead of anger.

 

 _How could we have known that? Neither of us went down this path…yet we knew…_ “Uh, okay. Or we could go try to find a liquor store instead?” _Yeah, sure, since we’re both 21 and able to legally buy alcohol. The fuck, Price?_ “No. You shouldn’t bring alcohol to a public park if you’re not willing to share it with everybody, right? And – Fuck it; I just want to take something that’s not mine.”

 

Lifting her hands as she would try to protest, Chloe sighed and shrugged, giving in. “Alright, I’m going in. Try to keep up.” Hmmm. What should she do? What could make two yuppie picnickers forget about the booze they brought with them? _Ha. Perfect._ Stumbling the last few metres, Rachel made sure to look as if she was in pain. “Um, can we help you?” Placing her hand over her heard; she made a few audible gasps before falling to the floor. _Okay. Now please be quick, Price, before someone smarter than these two comes along._

 

“Oh, thank god! Please, this girl is in trouble, go get help.” _Awesome…hopefully Chloe wasn’t just lucky when she argued with that bouncer last night._ “What are you waiting for! Go!” Damn, with that high-pitched voice, the woman could easily compete with Victoria Chase. “I already called 911. They should have an ambulance here any moment. In the meantime, they said to keep close watch on her. Like, turn all the way around and really focus.” _Smooth lie, Price._

 

“Watch out, I’m going to check her pulse. That’s on her neck, right?” _Note to me: Get Chloe some first aid manual in case something bad happens. Obviously I would die if this were real._ “I still think you should go get help. There’s a ranger station on the other side of the park.” _Really? Come on, you can be glad I’m just faking the cardiac arrest. Hopefully you go to a fucking first aid course soon._ “Good point. We’ll keep watch while you go.”

 

One stutter later and Chloe seemed to have regained her bearings. “Look at all the time we’ve wasted already. This woman needs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, stat.” While Rachel was definitely not in the mood for any kind of innuendo, she mentally signed that away and would bring it up at the next opportunity. “Okay, okay. You can do this…I can’t do it.” _Apparently, everyone in this fucking town is doomed when there is some emergency._ “Pathetic. Look, he’s clearly useless. This woman needs help from someone who actually knows what they’re doing.”

 

Deciding to go all-in, Chloe said the first thing that came to her mind, surprising herself in the process. “Hey! Look at me! Do you want to be locked out of the car of life forever? Or are you ready to break in there and seize the keys to your potential?” Car keys? What was going on? When Rachel would ask her days later, Chloe would have claimed that she simply…knew this was going to do the trick.

 

Waiting until the very last moment; waiting long enough to actually smell that man’s cologne, Rachel quickly pushed him away and got up in a swift movement. “Hey, wow, I’m all better now. You saved my life. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.” With her peripheral vision, she saw that Chloe had managed to snag the bottle and was waving everyone good-bye. “Yeah, good work everyone. Peace out.”

 

Not only did these picnickers seem horribly unequipped for a real emergency, their taste in wine was awful as well. She had hoped for some good, dry red wine – a Napa valley Merlot, perhaps? – But instead Rachel tasted sweet white wine. _I’ve known it since I came here, but…why is almost anyone in this town so…urgh._ Handing the wine to Chloe, she saw the other girl taking a sip, as unimpressed by the flavour as she was. Unfortunately it was the only alcohol at hand, so Rachel drank some more. “I am excessively sober right now.”

 

* * *

 

 

Moving along the train tracks in silence, Chloe pointed to something on their right hand side – an abandoned junkyard. Not in the mood for exploring – the “I want to slap someone who lied to me mood” didn’t quite match up, Rachel sat on a hood of a car. Feeling Chloe’s questioning gaze unnerved her, though. Knowing that the taller girl would probably call her out or something – which would, in turn, make Rachel snap and lash out at her – she decided to stop that advance before it could start.

 

“I…I gotta think about something for a while. I’m not going anywhere. It is not about you, I promise.” That damn wine wasn’t helping her, not at all. These pictures of her dad – whom she had trusted – were far too visible in front of her mental eye. How could he do that to her? And her mother? Another sip of that awful wine, the last one, as the bottle was dangerously close to being emptied. Looking down at her balled fist; the skin white; knuckles visible, she wondered how much more pressure that empty bottle could take before it reached its breaking point.

 

Chloe’s eyes kept resting on her - Rachel was painfully aware of that. _Do yourself a favour and move a few steps away. I don’t want to snap at you, but if you start arguing, I will do so._ Perhaps Chloe had some mind-reading powers, because she did move, giving Rachel time and pace to think. What should she do now? Confront her dad about it? Try to find out more about that mysterious woman? Just…lie? Act as if nothing happened? _Big chance of that. I have to talk to him, sooner rather than later. He’s got some serious explaining to do._ “Fuck!” With a quick flick of her wrist, she threw the bottle away from her, and it shattered on a metal barrel; fastball quality for sure.

 

Before Rachel could return to coming up with possible solutions to this nightmare she was in, a noise interrupted her. Unlike the sharp, quick noise of the wine bottle shattering in a swift move, this was a repeated noise; harsh, angry – the continued pressure of metal to metal. Gulping down her anger, the blonde teenager stood up, following the source of the noise. _What the fuck is Chloe doing?_

 

Slowly moving across the junkyard – the sunset was especially beautiful today – Rachel tried to find her classmate. There she was, interrupting the peaceful scene by repeatedly punching the hood of a car wreck. _It seems like both of us have some serious anger issues. But what has that car done to her?_ Unsure of whether she should interrupt Chloe by whatever she was doing there, Rachel resorted to stand near an old truck, waiting. She would think about her father later that evening, this was probably a lot more important.

 

After some more angry hits, Chloe’s movements stilled, sinking to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself. No longer was the silence of the dusk disturbed by her slams, but by her sobs instead. Shaking inwardly, Rachel took the last steps. _What am I supposed to do? I suck at consoling other people._ Seeing the pained expression etched upon her fellow student’s face, Rachel took a chance, kneeling down next to Chloe and hugging her. For one, endless moment, that was all there was – the birds chirping; Rachel’s even breaths; Chloe’s sobs; them holding each other close – and slowly, but steadily, the sun was setting.

 

“Hm?” Chloe had murmured something, but so low that Rachel hadn’t been able to hear it. “That was my dad’s car. I just…didn’t expect it, I guess.” Of course, that would do it. _She must have loved him very much. But then…Valar morghulis – oh, I don’t think I should tell Price that, after just noticing her temper. Not quite as bad as my own, but explosive enough._ Opting to veto out of this situation, Rachel changed the topic and was rewarded with a smile; sad, but a smile nonetheless.

 

“Are you still interested in why I was so…pissed off earlier?” _Still am, actually._ Frowning, Chloe looked at her, trying to search the truth somewhere in her hazel eyes, finding nothing. “Yeah. Let’s get away from here for a while.” Steadily, they walked back, following the train tracks. With Chloe calmed down, Rachel’s own anger bubbled in her chest again, burning, being all-consuming. Looking down, she noticed that her hand had automatically balled up into a fist again and she willed it to open. _This hella sucks. Smalltalk? Yeah, probably better than thinking of my dad and his deeds._

 

“So, Price. Chloe. I owe you an apology. I know I shouldn’t have lashed out at you. Well, I am just glad that I could avoid throwing something in your direction. It’s nothing I am proud of, but something I do when I am really angry.” Apologizing for anything was not on the list of Rachel Amber’s fortes; and she was painfully aware of that. “It’s all good.” _That’s just decided it. Price is a better person than anyone gives her credit for._ “No, I mean it.” Chloe cleared her throat, and sighed, before shooting a glance at the girl next to her. “I know that sounds weird, considering the afternoon, but today was the best day I’ve had since…since my dad died. And when you just like hugged me in front of that fucking car wreck and held me, it made me realize whatever’s going on between us is special. You know. Like, a friendship. But…more.”

 

 _My life in a Shakespeare play. At least it seems that this might be one with a happy ending, despite the hardships._ Deciding to be upfront about her own feelings – far too fed up with some damn lies – Rachel looked at the teenager walking by her side. “Yeah. Whatever’s going on between us, it’s intense, and new, and awesome, and…” _Hopefully that doesn’t come off as pathetic as it sounds._ “You had the courage to tell me that you feel it, too.”

 

Some soft smile on her face, Chloe decided to get back in the game. “Courage? I don’t know if I’d call it that.” _Then what? Destiny? True love? Shit. I sound hella cheesy. Maybe Karma is paying me back for all the times I made fun of Benedick and Beatrice when we read ‘Much Ado About Nothing’._ “More like…a slight buzz from that wine.” Considering her options for a moment, Rachel threw all in. “I just wanted you to know…I’m lucky that you were with me today. You’re a badass, Chloe Price.” Lifting an eyebrow, Chloe seemed to ponder that over, clearly surprised. “What—“

 

 _I will let you know, no worries; and I don’t make fun of you._ “Remember that biker asshole who wouldn’t let you into the mill? You talked your way right past him.” The reply was slightly confused. “You saw that?” _Okay. I am totally_

 _not admitting that I was watching you like some stalker._ “And those skeevy douchebags who followed you upstairs? Two against one, but you wouldn’t take any shit from them.” Was she really trying to protest? _Damn it, Price, give yourself the credit you deserve_. “I’d be dead if you hadn’t thrown that bottle—“ _No. Arcadia Bay is probably dangerous and awful, but nothing was supposed to happen that night…besides our meeting._ Where were these ? As long as she didn’t suddenly start to see dead people, she was going to be alright, though, Rachel decided.

 

“You inspired me.” Deciding to look over, watch these blue eyes, she also noted how Chloe’s whole face lit up, the way the sun breaks through the clouds some days, to brighten everything up. “What about Drew, when he was picking on Nathan? You got right in his face and called him out.” _And I totally shouldn’t have seen that either, actually._ “That was pretty sweet, actually.” _Far too modest, Price, or maybe not modest enough about this._ “See? You’re the real thing, Chloe. I don’t know anyone like you. Plus you came along with me, no questions asked.”

 

“Well, I don’t really need a good reason to ditch school.” _Joking again, Price?_ “Oh. We arrived.” In the distance, the distinct shape of the tree was visible and Rachel moved to stand in front of it, Chloe at her side. Taking a deep breath, she knew she was going to cry as soon as she started explaining it. For all her life, she had hated crying, especially in public. Crying made her vulnerable, ruined the perfect mask she had designed for herself. But after the revelation in the junkyard, maybe it was okay for her to cry in this moment – Chloe wouldn’t judge her for it, Rachel hoped.

 

“Chloe, I want to talk to you about something, but…I don’t know how to talk about this.” Her voice wavered with every word, lacking its usual fervour and amusement. Tears that had been pooling in her eyes and threatened to drop finally did so, running down her cheeks, leaving wet trails on her face. Talking about problems makes them better already, she had heard that somewhere, but it never felt more surreal than now. Just thinking of saying it – and making it actually true in the process – felt as if someone had punched her chest.

 

A moment of almost-silence followed, only interrupted by Rachel’s heavy breaths. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.” _Oh, Chloe. You trusted me about your dad…and trust goes both ways. At least I think so. So do it. Just spill it out, Amber._ “You remember that guy we saw under this tree with that woman?” “The ones who were making out?” _Really, Price…_ “That was my dad.” _Yes. Saying it out loud only makes it worse._ “Oh. Alright.” Steeling herself with a deep breath, Rachel continued. She had started this, now she wouldn’t back out of it.

 

“And that woman was definitely not my mom.” Recognition and understanding flashed in the ocean blue eyes, as Chloe Price wrapped her head around this piece of information. “The worst part is, I’m not surprised. I’ve felt like my dad’s been lying about something for a while. I just…I didn’t know what it was. So when I saw he got a text from an unknown number…asking him to meet…I thought I could catch him, or something…”

 

“I’m so sorry, Rachel. I don’t…I don’t know what to say.” “Neither do I.” It seemed as if the hole in her chest had closed again – or rather, became blurred by the rage inside her. “Neither do I. Chloe, I love my dad. I love him, and I never want to see his fucking face again.” _There. I said it now. Doesn’t make me feel better either._ “When my dad died, I was so mad at him. For months, I felt…wrong, because half the time I thought of him, I wanted to scream. And the other half, I forgot –“ Chloe did not finish that sentence, but the meaning was crystal clear, so Rachel allowed herself to finish it. “Forgot that anything had changed.”

 

Reaching for the pocket of her jeans, she pulled out an old photograph, studying it intensely. A reminder of a time when her life was simpler…where she knew her father would be there whenever she needed him, a time when the lies had not nearly been as prominent. _I shouldn’t look at it, this only makes it worse._ So she pushed the picture into Chloe’s hand before crossing her arms, the grip of her hands too tight. “It’s silly, but I’ve carried this photo around with me for years. It’s from Mt. Hood. My dad took me hiking there when I was ten. It started raining, and I fell and broke my arm three miles from the car. I remember screaming like I was gonna die. But my dad…he carried me down the mountain. I still remember the smell of his coat, and how calm he was, and the sound of his voice, and...”

 

Recalling all of it with such an amazing clarity made her hate it all the more. Her dad had been someone she had trusted, and he went ahead and just betrayed that trust. When the footsteps approached, Rachel had half a mind of shaking her head and lifting her hand to stop Chloe, but decided against it. Maybe she needed a hug just as badly as Chloe on the junkyard. At least, this was what she got. Breathing in the smell of beer and cigarettes – Chloe was wearing the jacket she had worn to the Firewalk show – and something that reminded her of fresh grass and tobacco, Rachel allowed herself to cry, burying her face at the crook of Chloe’s neck before she continued.

 

Thankfully, she could whisper now, in this new position so close to the other teenage girl. “He was just so strong, you know? I felt safe.” Part of her brain felt weirdly safe in that moment as well; and it filed away the moment, maybe to remember it in times of need: The still too warm Oregon night, the calm movement of leaves gently shaken by the wind, how it felt to be in Chloe’s arms. “You trusted him.” Admitting it didn’t make anything easier…whoever wrote this awful advice about talking had obviously never been in such a situation. “Completely.” “Fuck your dad.” Allowing the rage to take over once more, Rachel nodded. “Fuck him.” This would not end well, not at all, and she couldn’t care less about it.

  
Sometimes people go past the point of reason, despite knowing it better. This moment was one of these for Rachel Amber. “Can I borrow your lighter? Oh, it was a bad idea, so bad. But what’s right and what’s wrong might differ, depending on the view of the person. Whatever Chloe might be thinking of her, she still held out her lighter to Rachel. “Thank you.” A reflex, an automatic reply, something installed in every human being.

 

Clicking the lighter and setting that picture aflame felt right, though. Part of her wanted to hold it until it turned to ashes, but her fingers opened once the heat crept closer. Slowly, the fading image of a better day sunk to the trash heap; newspapers and fast food wrappings. They caught fire surprisingly fast. “Come on.” Chloe’s voice was almost enough to pull Rachel out of her thoughts, but this time it was just close enough, not really happening.

 

When Rachel would think of this moment at later points in her life, she would always remember how it had felt to be locked on a target, the way the air force would use a cruise missile and the way her brain had zoned out. Quickly moving a few steps back, gaining some momentum, before she stormed back, kicking the trash can so hard it stumbled and fell. _Seems like both baseball and football are viable options for my further career._ In front of her eyes, that tree caught fire. _Good. It shall burn. Just like this whole fucking town._

 

Screaming with pain and frustration and betrayal, Rachel watched the flames spreading – slowly at first, then faster. She didn’t even remember when Chloe had grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the wildfire. Everything was hazy, clouded, shrouded in a million shades of red. Around them, the air was starting to heat up, the smell of burning wood carried in the direction they were heading to. _Where are we?_ That was the next conscious thought, Chloe dragging her along a small coastal road. Seemingly they had already passed the junkyard. “What did you say?”

 

Lifting her head, Chloe studied Rachel’s hazel eyes in the pale moonlight for a moment, the gentle sound of waves hitting the shore the only other thing around them. “What I wouldn’t give to leave this place and never look back…” _I will consider it a good thing that we’re not talking about the issue at hand._ “What’s stopping us?” With that, they walked back to Arcadia Town in companionable silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since you made it all the way here, I wish you the most splendid New Year's Eve like...ever!
> 
> The next chapter will focus on Episode 2 and the night after the play. And then we'll set sail in the AU waters!  
> I am excited for the upcoming events and I hope you are, too. With my winter semester med-school exams coming up, I'll see how much writing I can fit in my schedule.
> 
> The nagging feeling that something is wrong in Arcadia Bay will be a recurring theme - fear is the best motivator, and perhaps just what these two need to get to LA.


	3. Tempest-tossed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! This chapter follows once again the events of the game with some crucial changes and decisions.
> 
> It's longer than I planned, but it means the obvious canon divergence will begin in the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Life Is Strange. If I did, Amberprice would be the endgame.

__

* * *

 

Laying on her bed in complete darkness, Rachel rolled over to grab her phone. _Made it into my house without seeing either of my parents!_ She was actually proud of that feat, but also relieved. After all this tension on the afternoon, Rachel wasn’t quite sure if any confrontation would have ended well. Actually, she admitted to herself that she would have probably thrown something at her dad.

 

The reply came immediately and made her smile, despite all that had happened earlier. _Sweet! U were born to be a spy. Jumping out of trains and shit._ Reading the message from Chloe helped. How could she have known that Rachel actually needed some cheer-up of sorts? _Oh man. We’d make such a great team. _ Overwhelmed by this statement, the blonde teenage-girl took a deep breath, trying to settle herself. _Alright. Some quick joke so it doesn’t sound like I want to hook up with her that badly._ Typing quickly – to avoid an overly long pause – Rachel nodded to herself. That sounded good.

  
_No enemy viewfinder would ever manage to escape your sharp eyes._ It was true; Chloe had spotted the note on the floor, telling them that the viewfinder was out of order. _Did she, though?_ While she wanted to believe that Chloe had simply noted it in some peripheral vision, it was unlikely. Moreover, they had known that these picnickers had brought wine with them…and when Rachel walked past them, spontaneously brought back to full health, the yuppies had murmured about their car keys. _How could Chloe have known that either?_

 

Sighing deeply, the Cali girl closed her eyes for a moment. Her life had been turned upside down within about twenty-four hours and there were three big problems nagging at her. _First: My dad is cheating on my mom. Second: I am beginning to develop some psychic skills. Third: I have no idea what is going on between me and Chloe Price._

 

Speaking of the devil, the school delinquent had replied. _Haha, meanwhile you’re deep undercover as a passed out person_. Was that a wordplay? Damn, her brain didn’t run on 100% at this time in the morning. _LOL. Today was unforgettable._ It was true. Whatever was going on between her and the wannabe pirate was absolutely, insanely intense. _But I will never forget the image of my dad kissing that...that woman_. _Some of it sucked._ Her phone vibrated so quickly that Rachel wasn’t quite sure to what message Price had replied. _yeah_.

 

Unsure of what to say, Rachel made herself a bit more comfortable in her bed, wrapped up in her blanket. _What shall I do? What can I say? I hope she didn’t think that I was talking about her._ Three minutes had passed when she used her thumbs to send another message. _At least I can send as many messages as I want_. _You know what doesn’t suck?_ Closing her eyes, she could picture Chloe, lying on her own bed - sad after the message she interpreted the wrong way; now confused and maybe slightly anger. But when the Blackwell princess saw the _what?_ , she knew what emotion Price would feel after her reply - joy. Three letters were all she needed: _You._

 

_How could she even think I meant it like this? Like I said, she’s the most badass person I have ever met. Well, fuck, it seems I have to put some more work into convincing Chloe fucking Price._ Time seemed to stand still while Rachel waited for a reply. Or maybe I pushed too hard? Shaking her head, she tried to get rid of the thought. No. She admitted that she has feelings for me. Two minutes and thirty-one seconds later, the vibration of her phone brought her back out of her thoughts.

 

_you also don’t suck_. Hm _. Is that a compliment? Damn, Price, you are hard to figure out. I guess I’ll just go for totally cool_. _I know_. Any chance of their messages escalating into a flirting banter - anything to take Rachel’s thoughts of the original problem - was stopped by Chloe, though. _we should probably sleep_. _got wells tomorrow morning_. Her honour student conscience kicked in. _This means trouble...but...without skipping, I wouldn’t have known_.

 

_Yeah. My fault_. Rachel decided that she would take the blame - it had been her idea after all and she would go down for it. The soothing reply followed in the blink of an eye: _worth it_. Deciding to leave her mobile phone be; she put the charger in and put it on the table. Willing herself to fall asleep - if life with Chloe Price would be like this every day, Rachel decided she needed every second of sleep she could possibly get.

 

But she was still under the impression of the insane 16 hours and her mind drifted to her dad and his lies the whole time. With sheer force of will, Rachel took some calm breaths and forced herself to think of the girl that had accompanied her. Unlike the night before, she did not wonder about her hands, her laugh or her eyes. Instead, she thought of Chloe’s lips and what it would feel like to kiss them. All her life she had been gifted with a very vivid imagination - sometimes it was a curse, but at other times it was rather enjoyable.

 

She could almost feel it, see it, the way Chloe held her in her arms and how she closed the distance between them, unwilling to wait any longer. The last thing Rachel thought before she fell asleep - a mere fragment of a thought, actually - was something weirdly misplaced; something that was happening when she looked up after the kiss. _It’s...raining...ash?_

 

* * *

 

Waking up is always a different process from falling asleep. Rachel was almost disorientated when she opened her eyes, waiting for her brain to kick-start to life. Her first movement was to look at the alarm clock before picking up her phone. 8.23 am, no messages. Well, some from yesterday, but none from Chloe. Seeing the date woke her truly up, though - it was the day of the play; she would play the lead role. _Can I convince Chloe to come and watch the play? Let’s see. But first, I have to survive the meeting with Wells and, of course, my parents._

 

A quick shower later and she was dressed in a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt with a colour print and her Converse - not to mention her bracelet and signature blue feather earring. Steeling herself for the way downstairs - _not shout at my dad; not look guiltily at mom_ \- she grabbed her mobile phone and left the room. Walking down the stairs with a confidence she did not quite feel, she saw her father looking up from the chair he was seated in. _I’m in hella trouble. But if he gives me shit about it, I won’t be able to bite my tongue._

 

“Good morning”, she greeted, as calmly as possible. _Just put on the mask of a good daughter._ “Good morning, Rachel. I got a call from Principle Wells last night. Seemingly, you skipped school yesterday. Is there anything you want to tell me?” _Is there anything you want to tell me? About that woman? The one you made out with?_ Instead of replying, she went over and grabbed a glass from the cupboard, filling it with water from the tap.

 

Noticing the too-tight grip and slight shake of her hand when she lifted it to drink, she counted backwards from ten to one, desperately wanting to calm down. “No. There is nothing I want to tell you.” _At least I didn’t rip off his head already. That might count as a victory._ Green eyes met hazel ones in a staring contest. _I guess this is why I am such a good actress._ Their unspoken contest was stopped by Rose Amber. “James. Rachel. We have to get to Blackwell in time, I am sure we can talk about this later.” “Sure”, Rachel murmured at the same time her father closed his eyes. “Indeed, Rose.”

 

Sitting in the back of the car in absolute silence, Rachel made a point of staring out the window, watching the passing streets _. I am not looking ahead. As if I couldn’t feel their stares through the rear mirror._ Putting on her best poker face, the blonde teenager contemplated her options, what she would say to her parents later. Wells would not be the problems, as a teacher he had no right to demand the reason for her actions. But her dad would ask, during the ride back home. _I’ll just say that I needed to get out. How much I hate this horrible town they forced on me._ This wouldn’t even be a lie, as she disliked Arcadia Bay with every single part of her being. Maybe I’ll dedicate most of my summer holidays to come up with an escape plan. _Thankfully my sophomore year will be over soon. Only two more years to go then…_

 

When they arrived at the parking lot and moved over to the Principal’s office, Rachel couldn’t help but notice that Mr. Keaton had decided to use the brighter, more colourful background for _The Tempest_. Tilting her head sideways, the lead actress contemplated that for a moment: The morning after the storm; the calm. _Personally, I would have preferred the other option. A raging storm, lightning and crashing waves fit my mood better._

 

Her hazel eyes wandered a bit, locking on the fire. _That fire surely spread fast_. Part of her wanted to feel remorse for starting it, but her anger - at her father, that stranger woman and this damn fucking town in general - outweighed it by far _. I wouldn’t mind Arcadia Bay being burned to ash._ And as she walked through the main entrance of Blackwell, with that thought in her mind - Rachel Amber was afraid of her own wrath’s intensity for the first time in her life.

 

There hadn’t been any need to rush. As Rachel sat down in one of the two chairs, the waiting began. Behind her, her father kept glancing at his watch, impatiently. Wells tried to stare her down, she felt it. Her right hand touched the chair for a moment, before she folded her hands in her lap, keeping her face blank. When the door finally opened, she knew who entered before she saw them. “Ms. Price. How good of you to join us.” Sarcasm dripped in Principle Wells’ voice.

 

“I’m so sorry we’re late. My - my shift ran late at the diner and then...just sorry.” Rachel looked to the other chair, waiting for Chloe to sit down, studying her mother. Chloe’s mother wore a white apron, a pink blouse and a skirt; she had a tired look on her face. Apparently, she wasn’t here for the first time. When Chloe sat down, exchanging a quick smile with Rachel, she noticed that she hadn’t changed her clothes since last night.

 

The wannabe pirate still wore the jacket she wore to the Firewalk show and that t-shirt with a humanized hot dog on it, whatever that was...perhaps some series she didn’t know? _Note to myself: ask Chloe about it_. Other than that, the girl looked a bit annoyed when she studied the Principal. “Let us proceed. One of you here is new to the Blackwell disciplinary process...and the other is far too familiar with it.” _Fuck you_. A sudden realization hit Rachel - it probably would have no impact of she stated to be the culprit. She would have to exaggerate it far more than expected...and hope that Chloe wouldn’t butt in and try to take the blame.

 

“Blackwell’s code of conduct is built upon…” Feeling Chloe’s eyes studying her face, Rachel tuned the tiring speech mentally down. Life as an effortlessly good student has its ups, for sure. For example being able to concentrate on other stuff while being able to listen to something...like this lecture. It seems Chloe finds this as ridiculous as I do. “...a foundation of mutual respect meant to foster an environment conducive to education and enrichment.” _Fuck...the sooner I get out of here, the better._

 

Wells stood up - typical behaviour to come off as bigger and more threatening than he was - before focusing on the older girl. “Are you paying attention to me, Chloe?” Since it was too early in the morning to act properly, she simply looked up. “Um…what?” This only served to anger the Principal further. “Ms. Price, the last time we met, an agreement was brokered. Do you recall what that was?” _Shit. I have a hella bad feeling about this._

 

Chloe looked as if she was about to reply something really, really unfriendly, but managed to stop herself from saying it when she saw Joyce’s warning glance. “Uh, don’t get in trouble again?” _God. He’s just waiting for it. Feels weird to see him tearing into someone like this. He always tried to act nice around me. That’s what you fucking get for being a straight A-student._ “Trouble is merely the byproduct, Ms. Price. What’s at issue is your attitude. We agreed that you would rededicate yourself to becoming an exemplary Blackwell citizen.”

 

_Blackwell citizen? Last thing I know, this is a high school and not a fucking federal state._ The sarcasm was so evident in the “We did?” that Rachel inhaled sharply. Her friend was not going to try de-escalation, for sure. Apparently, it was exactly what Wells had hoped for. _Chloe, please…don’t give him any more ammo._ “In the event that you were unable or unwilling to do so, we also agreed that it would become pertinent to reassess your future status at the academy.”

 

Folding his hands and adopting a fake concern, he continued. “Despite all this, you engaged in the following actions yesterday: Insubordinate language…Witnesses saying you were involved in bullying Nathan Prescott.” _Oh, fuck off. Yeah, I bet it was one witness. Singular. Probably a freshman with very short blonde hair. She seemed angry enough when she walked away…_ Leaning forward, Chloe adopted a challenging tone, her blue eyes turning cold. “The hell I was! I stood up for that little weirdo.” “I suppose that’s one interpretation of events.”

 

For the first time, Joyce Price decided to interfere. “Say what you will about my daughter, but she is not a bully.” Thankful for the support, Chloe shrugged. “Maybe you should be talking to Drew instead of me. You know, the guy who actually did what you’re accusing me of.” There was no way Wells would agree to this. After all, Drew North was Blackwell’s star football player. “Mr. North’s situation requires…sensitivity. It will be handled separately.” A deep frown appeared on Joyce’s face. “And Chloe’s situation is less sensitive?”

 

Obviously, the Principal of the prestigious Blackwell Academy did not like the accusation. “I do not discuss other students’ situations. We are here to discuss your daughter and her actions.” _Erm…you are discussing it right in front of me and my family? I know why you like my dad – bunch of fucking hypocrites._ “Convenient.” Nobody was fooled by this very easy way out. Turning around in her seat, Chloe looked at her mother. “Mom, you know this is all bullshit, right?”

 

Luckily for her, Joyce seemed to agree. “I am beginning to suspect this myself.” _Yeah, well, I guess everyone is beginning to suspect that._ A quick glance to the side showed that Rachel’s mom frowned as well. James kept staring at his watch, though, not wanting to have any part in this discussion. “I am sorry you feel that way”, Wells started and Rachel suppressed an annoyed huff. _Of course you do. Feeling sorry for being such an awful liar._ “But your daughter’s misbehaviour is real and serious. And yet, even without your prodigious disciplinary record, Ms. Price, we needn’t discuss any of it.”

 

_What is he playing at? Why this entire monologue if it doesn’t…oh, fuck. Shit. He’s going to expel her and it’s my fucking fault._ “We needn’t?” a sceptical Chloe replied, frowning. And with a deep breath, Wells went ahead to confirm Rachel’s suspicions. “No. Because you severed your relationship with Blackwell the minute you left school grounds without permission.” Glancing over at her confused friend and her mother, Rachel quickly looked down again. _I can’t let him do this. Not only was it my idea, but Chloe even stayed quiet about that fire. Dammit._

 

Next to her, a serious Chloe leaned forward the tiniest bit in her seat, putting the pieces together but wanting the confirmation. “What does that mean?” It was a rhetorical question, they all knew it. But someone had to pose, and Chloe was being brave about it. Rachel took her time to take in the way Wells smirked slightly. _He has been waiting for this. And he is hella looking forward to say it._ “It means you’ve forced my hand. This is a consequence of your actions, Chloe. I have no choice but to-“ _No fucking way._

 

Gathering her courage – how difficult could this be, after burning down half a state park? – Rachel rose a bit from her seat, interrupting him. “I made her do it.” For a moment, everyone in the room was silent, trying to comprehend what the younger teenager had just said. Feeling the eyes of everyone in the room on her, Rachel kept her calm. _I just gotta act the hell out of this and maybe I can turn this tide._ “What?” She wasn’t quite sure who said that, far too focused in planning ahead her next step. Action without thinking of the consequences was a speciality of Rachel’s, after all. Chloe looked almost shocked, as if it was something she hadn’t expected in the first place.

 

Imagining herself on yet another stage, Rachel effortless continued her explanation, trying to balance it being realistic and putting Chloe in a good light at the same time. “Yesterday was all me. My idea. I…was having a bad day. I needed to blow off some steam and I took it too far.” With that, she seemed to confirm the worried thoughts of Rose Amber, who gently put a hand on her daughter’s back. _Not enough. Not nearly enough._ She noticed the suspicious glance Wells sent to Chloe, so the Cali girl decided to go overboard with it.

 

Putting on a regretful look, she sighed dramatically and continued. “Chloe tried to talk me out of it. ‘I’ve been down that road,’ she told me. ‘You’re better than that.’” Turning around to give the other girl a warning look, Rachel spun her tale further. “But I wouldn’t listen.” Surprisingly enough, she was greeted by a very solemn look. _She doesn’t seem happy about this at all. But I won’t have her punished for this._ “See, Chloe was afraid I’d get in trouble or hurt, so she came with me. But only to keep me safe.” In the middle of this statement, Rachel looked down at her shoes, faking guilt. _I can’t feel bad about knowing the truth…but I can feel bad about her suffering for it._

 

Leaning back over, hazel eyes meeting blue ones, she gave her friend a pleading look. _Don’t do anything rash, please, fucking don’t._ “I am just sorry you got caught up in it, Chloe. That you allowed me to drag you down to my level. Can you forgive me?” A tiny part of her wondered whether the adults had bought this, hoping for it at least. _Hopefully that’s enough to calm her mom down a bit, making Chloe seem like a heroine._

 

Yet Rachel hadn’t expected her friend to not play along with it. “For what? You didn’t do anything.” _Fuck. Improvisation is hella difficult when everyone refuses to join in._ Hidden in the depth of the blue eyes was a warning, though, a warning not to continue it like this. _Screw that._ Tilting her head to the side and giving the other girl a slight smile, Rachel continued nonetheless. “Your willingness to stand by me even now is truly inspiring.” Moving closer to her daughter, Joyce Price interrupted their conversation. “Chloe, is this true?” _I won’t give her a chance to nope out._ “It’s true.”

 

Rachel couldn’t help but feel slightly proud about this – she had managed to keep her face straight the whole time, even when the other girl tried to protest. And that last sentence? Perfect. _A brilliant mixture of regret, warmth and reassurance._ Across the table, Principal Wells still seemed surprised and slightly unhappy with the development. “Ms. Price?” _Please, just fucking go along with it._ It was difficult not to notice the way Chloe’s hands tensed, or the way she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to contemplate her options. _Just tale the fucking easy way out, Price._

 

Lifting her head, she went for the middle ground. “Fine, yes. It was her idea, but it’s not like she kidnapped me. We were in it together.” _Not ideal, but I suppose it could have been worse._ Deep brown eyes switching back to the younger girl, Rachel steeled herself. _He wants me to deny everything I just said._ “Ms. Amber, based on what you’ve just told me, I have grounds to punish you. Are you sure what you’ve told me is the truth?” _Can you just stop being so fucking thick? Shall I write it down, with a damn biro on paper?_ “Yes.” _The fewer things I say myself, the more they will make up in their heads._

 

A deep baritone behind her made her almost loose her patience, though. “This can’t be the full story, Rachel?” _Oh, yes, you’ve just waited for this. Dad, be hella careful with this. I can change my mind about telling mom…_ “Ray?” _Sure, get him to keep digging._ “Just to be clear, Ms. Amber, you’re sure Chloe Price didn’t coerce —“ _Do you think anyone on this planet can coerce me to do something?_ “Yes, I am very sure about this. Like I said before, it was my idea. Chloe had nothing to do with it.”

 

Weighing his options, Wells finally sighed. “This being your first infraction is in no way reduces its severity. Still, we will not suspending you at this time. But you have squandered our trust. You will no longer be my administrative assistant first period.” _Well, that blows. But it could be worse, I guess. And why the fuck are you talking about yourself in plural?!_ Leaning her head down in a way that should show remorse, Rachel took a deep breath. “And you will no longer be involved in Blackwell’s performance of _The Tempest_.” _Fuck. No way!_ Unlike the sentence before, this really hit hard and hurt her.

 

She had been spent weeks working her ass off to be the best actress she could possibly be and it was something she truly enjoyed doing. Finally looking up, she tried to keep her cool and failed. Leaning back, she stared at the ceiling, whispering a broken “No.” _I think I hate Wells…so damn fucking much_. Behind her, she heard her father sighing. For the fleeting moment of a second, she even felt grateful for him. Beside her, Chloe tore her gaze away from her and stared back at the Principal, challenging, ready to defend Rachel. “But the performance is tonight!”

 

“For someone so aware of our school calendar, Ms. Price, I would expect fewer absences on your record.” _There is no use, Chloe. I truly appreciate it, but he hates you so much, he wouldn’t listen to anything you say._ Automatically leaning away from the hand her father was about to place on her shoulder. “Ray, she loves that show. Since this is her first infraction, don’t you think—“ _Not going to help either._ “Mr. Amber. I don’t tell you how to run the District Attorney’s Office. Please don’t tell me how to run my school.” _He’s so loving this, I can tell. Wells is an awful actor for sure._

 

“There’s a reason we have understudies, for all circumstances, accidental and deliberate. I’m sure your understudy…” _I want to punch him in his upstart face so badly…of course; he has to bring her up. The one person that hated me since day one and spread so many rumours about me that I can’t even count all of them anymore._ “Victoria Chase.” Rarely had a simple name pained her as much.

 

_That’s what I get for this fire…fucking karma._ The blonde freshman was the nemesis of both teenage girls in this room. It seemed that Chloe was finally fed up, jumping to her feet and slamming Wells’ expensive mahogany table. “Get your head out of your ass, Wells.” O _h, shit. She’s going to tear into him until he believes her. I didn’t want her to do that._ By the dangerous gleam in his brown eyes, it seemed that she was already succeeding. “You seriously think yesterday was Little Miss Sunshine’s idea?”

 

Moving up and down in front of the table, Rachel felt reminded of the evening they met; the way Chloe managed to talk her way past the bouncer. “Don’t you have the slightest idea how this works? You don’t wake up one day and decide to be an outlaw. You need priors. You need training.” _Training?_ Despite the seriousness of the situation, Rachel almost felt like smiling. “Rachel confessed. Are you calling her a liar?” _It wasn’t a lie per se. I merely…stretched the truth slightly._ “I confess to thinking she can act like a motherfucker. You just bought her crap, hook, line and sinker.”

 

One desperate, last protest, one last chance to stop her friend. “You don’t have to do this. It’s okay. Really.” _Maybe…we can find another way._ Unfortunately, Chloe was really good at this improvisation stuff, perhaps almost as good as Rachel herself. “How about you don’t take credit for my shit? You don’t see me claiming I did my homework, do you?” _You’re the only one I know that makes skipping school sound like a real achievement…_

 

Behind them, Joyce spoke up, angry with her daughter. “Apologize this instant!” Turning back to the Principal, a smirk on her lips, Chloe decided to follow her mother’s demand. “Fine. Mr. Wells, I’m sorry for exposing the flaws in your campus security. This must be very embarrassing for you.” With that sentence, the wannabe pirate sealed her fate – the unsurprising expulsion followed suit, as well as Rachel’s re-instalment into the play. _Fuck this…_ Leaving the office, it was neither the time nor place to discuss what had just happened, but they agreed to meet on the junkyard a little while later.

 

* * *

 

Following her parents back to the parking lot, Rachel glanced at the stage again. _Was it worth that? Chloe getting expelled so I can be on there tonight?_ A wave of sadness and guilt washed over her. _I guess she is the better liar, even when I joked otherwise._ That aside, she was truly grateful for her friend standing up to defend her. _I wish Wells wouldn’t be so entitled. The way he acted as if he wanted to expel her right away…_

 

Getting back in the backseat of her father’s car, Rachel knew that the next confrontation was about to unfold. Her dad started the car and hit the road. “Is there anything you want to say, Rachel?” _I hate it when he talks like this. As if I were at a court, caught in a cross-examination._ She kept her composure and remained silent. _Let’s see how much he figured out._

 

“You said the truth in the beginning, Rachel, I feel it. Chloe Price was way too eager to play into Ray’s expectations...taking the blame.” _Fuck. Yes, I know._ “I didn’t want her to be expelled.” For the first time since they drove to Blackwell, Rachel looked ahead, facing the green eyes that stared at her through the rear mirror. _You should stare more at that road. You’re going to fucking kill us._

 

“So, Rachel, would you mind telling me another truth then? Why you skipped?” _You, of all people, have no right to lecture me on honesty._ The blonde Cali girl decided to stick to the plan she had devised on the road to Blackwell. “I needed to get out.” This time, the silence was almost deafening. A tiny part of her felt bad, especially because her mom would be hearing all of it. _It needs to be done, though._ Tapping into all her pent up rage about her dad’s lie, her anger at the principal, her frustration about living in this town, Rachel continued, not even lying now.

 

There was no looking away this time. Her hazel eyes burned, eager to melt that stupid rear mirror. “You never once asked me if I wanted to move anywhere else. And you especially never asked me if I wanted to move to damn Arcadia fucking Bay. I hate this town so much...I needed a break for once.” Hearing herself talking made her realize how true the words were. _I won’t cry. I won’t fucking break down and cry._

 

Her harsh words had the desired effect. All of a sudden, the disappointment and inquisitiveness in her dad’s green eyes disappeared. Once more, it was silent; a heavy silence, but easier to bear for Rachel. _Good. He brought it up; he has to live with knowing that. Just like I have to live knowing that my dad is a cheating bastard._ “I never knew.” _Are you trying to make me feel bad for being the perfect daughter you want and never mentioning it?_ “Perhaps because you never cared to ask me.”

 

Staring back out of the window, watching the boring houses and trees and lawns pass by, Rachel wished she were back in Long Beach. At least after school, you could go to a warm and sunny beach; hang out at the pier or go swimming… Perhaps the weather was the absolute worst part of Arcadia Bay. Well, that and people like Victoria Chase. _She really hates me. But it’s not as if I can get back at her for spreading all these rumours about me. I wonder if Chloe heard them_... _if she thinks they are real._

 

Parking the car in the garage, Rachel just shot her parents a quick glance. “I’ll just grab some stuff, and then I’ll be off, seeing Chloe. I will probably stop by before I head to Blackwell for the rehearsal.” She moved rather fast, trying to avoid any more conversation. There wasn’t the need to do so, though. Neither of her parents even tried to stop her. Almost running up the stairs, desperate to be alone for a while, Rachel took a deep breath as soon as she closed the door of her room behind her.

 

Pulling out her phone, she sat down on her bed, sighing deeply. _Wells blows. That meeting hella sucked._ _Hopefully her mother is not tearing into Chloe too harshly…_ The answer came immediately, though. _you’re HELLA weird_. Leaning back, staring at the fake stars above her bed, Rachel sighed. _Says the one person who just got expelled from school for me._ _YOU ARE_. She suspected they would have to talk about later.

 

But it was clear why Chloe took the fall for her - whatever they had; it was already going way beyond the average high school crush. Both of them had been willing to go down for the other; but Chloe had already been hated by Wells anyway. _seriously it’s okay. yesterday was worth it_. Remembering the way they held each other - _fuck, yes, worth it. At least for me. But it cost you so greatly…_

Deciding that she wouldn’t gain anything from thinking about it, Rachel quickly got up and moved to her closet, pulling out a duffle bag. _I don’t think Chloe will go home tonight. She would probably prefer a park bench over seeing her mother._ Looking through her clothes, grabbing the baggiest shirts - at least for her - she could find, including two jackets, Rachel stuffed them into the bag. _That is the least I can do...and it fucking sucks._

 

Shouldering the bag - the weight not nearly as heavy as her conscience - Rachel left her room and made her way downstairs again. Either her parents wanted to avoid another confrontation or they were busy doing something else, as she saw neither her dad nor her mom. _At least this means I don’t have to lie and pretend things with my father are fine._ Her phone vibrated and she looked at it. A group SMS at most of the drama club members - the ones who had promised to be there for the rehearsal. _Remember the rehearsal at 15.30_.

 

Rachel chose to walk at the beach, pretty much like she did last night. As much as she wanted to avoid it, her thoughts kept wandering back to Long Beach again. _Nobody is even out here...because the water is still so cold. I wish I could be back there. Chloe would like it, too, I guess. Maybe I can find a way to make it up to her. Or at least make her smile a bit._

 

Having no idea how much longer Chloe would be busy at Blackwell, Rachel chose a moderate walking pace before pulling out her phone, seeing another text from Chloe. _still there?_ Stopping for a moment, she sat down the bag to type faster. _I grabbed something from home. On my way to meet you at the junkyard._ Considering the fact that most of Chloe’s trouble today was her fault, she added a quick _See you really soon!_ Deciding that walking was faster than just standing there and sending messages, she didn’t reply to _you better_.

 

While she was alone, there was the nagging feeling of someone watching her and the blonde teenager looked around, trying to find the source. _A raven?_ Indeed, that was the only animal nearby. _Alright...first I start having déjà vus and shit and now I feel as if an animal could watch me. The lack of sun and warmth is surely getting to me._ _And people like Victoria Chase. I could seriously need a drink. Or a smoke. Or both._

 

Rachel started contemplating yet another reason to leave this town. _Typical small town rumours. In a bigger city and a bigger school, nobody would care that much. I don’t get why she wanted to join the drama club anyway, she is awful at acting. Her photos are rather good, though, she should stick to that._ _And leave me the fuck alone._ With the calming sound of crashing waves in the background, Rachel remembered the auditions for the roles – the beginning of her trouble.

 

How it was her and Victoria competing over the lead role, and the easy win for the Cali girl. _That was when everything started to go down._ Just four days later, she heard the rumour of her sleeping with every guy in town for the first time. Keeping her calm publically for over seven months, Rachel knew it wouldn’t end well for the freshman, sooner rather than later. _I swear the next person who brings that up…_ She had never been the most patient or calm person in the world, quite the opposite actually, but her family expected perfection so Rachel had put on a mask and delivered just that - desperately keeping her cool.

 

But with her dad cheating on her mom; Principal Wells showing how little he cared for the non-profitable students; Chloe getting actually expelled...her patience was at an all-time low. Switching hands to carry the duffle bag, she climbed up a small path, making her way over to the train tracks and the junkyard. Looking around, she spotted Chloe, asleep in a beat-up truck. _That is kind of dangerous, falling asleep with a lit cigarette in hand._ Lifting her hand, she knocked at the window, waking the other girl up. Chloe was adorable when she was slowly waking up and coming to terms with the world around her, Rachel decided then and there. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to fall asleep with a lit cigarette? You could start a fire.”

 

_I would know that, of course. Well, I guess I can add professional arsonist to my skills, as of last night. But I didn’t plan it...I think?_ The older girl looked up, before shaking her head, dropping the burnt-out cigarette and destroyed it with her shoe. Leaning one arm on the side mirror, Rachel smiled at the other teenager. _This truck really fits her. Life has been harsh to both of you, but you find the beauty if you dig deep enough. And here I am, being cheesy again. Perhaps that happens if Shakespeare is one’s favourite author._

 

“So...are you going to invite me in, or what?” Staring at each other for a few moments, Chloe nodded. “I love giving rides to strange drifters. Hop in.” “Thanks.” Slowly, she picked the duffle bag up again and moved to the passenger side, putting the bag on the truck bed before sliding in next to Chloe. _For some car she found in a junkyard, it’s in rather good shape. Not that I know that much about cars, though._ “Damn. You’ve been busy.”

 

Of course, Chloe Price was trying to make it seem as if she had done nothing. _Like she shrugged her expulsion off earlier._ “It’s nothing. Just some junk I found lying around. _Some junk, ey?_ “A rainbow towel?” Looking up for a moment, she saw the most Chloe-y thing in the truck, but didn’t mention it yet. “A freaky red light?” _Now is the perfect time, though._ “Holy shit. The all-seeing eye.” _But I guess Chloe is the kind of person that loves mythical stuff like this. And it fits that truck. Hella cool._ Grinning, Chloe replied “Figured it can’t hurt to have the Illuminati on our side for whenever shit goes down.” _Ha. I wish. Maybe they could get us out of here._ “Always thinking ahead.”

 

Wanting to talk about the expulsion, she couldn’t bring herself to mention it then; afraid of damaging the moment between her and the brown-haired girl. “Chloe, this is incredible. I -- I can’t believe you found us an escape vehicle already.” _Maybe, if we get it to work. And you still want to run away with me after this morning._ Seeing the thoughtful expression on the taller girl’s face, Rachel wasn’t quite sure of that. “That’s the hope. But it doesn’t exactly drive yet.” _Yet. There is some more hope than just getting this car to work._

 

“You’ll figure it out.” _I will try to figure out the rest...maybe...I know how to get out of here as fast as possible. But I need to investigate that further._ “Luckily, I have a lot of time for this. No Blackwell, after all.” _I will be here for you, Chloe, if you want to talk about it._ “Yeah...holy shit. That Wells meeting. I’m so sorry.” It was the best she could come up with and it made her feel all the more guilty. “I can’t believe he actually expelled you.” _Only because you didn’t want me to miss out on The Tempest._

 

“It’s definitely Blackwell’s loss.” _As well as my own. We could have hella fun tearing up that school and coming out of it scoot-free._ “You covering for me was amazing. I don’t know how to thank you.” Once more, Chloe decided to show impressive loyalty, by playing it down. “Whatever. You tried to cover for me, too.” _Well, I didn’t cover per-se; I just implied I forced you to go with me._ “Tried and failed. I guess we know who the better liar is.”

 

Both of them knew that this was not one-hundred percent true, though, and Chloe’s smile just confirmed it. “Or maybe my lie was the one he wanted to believe.” _True. What was it...a list of student he assumes the worst about…_ “At least Wells has no idea what really went down with us last night. Shit got pretty wild.” _Wild as in wildfire, I may add._ “Rachel, that was more than pretty wild. You went absolutely nuts last night. What the hell were you thinking?” While Chloe tried to sound a little bit sterner than usual, there wasn’t really any reprimand in that sentence.

 

Looking down at her Converse for a second, Rachel decided she would stick to the truth, refusing to lie to Chloe. Facing the blue eyes, she took a breath and went for it. “I was angry. I didn’t expect the whole stupid park to go ‘whoosh’.” _Yet maybe a part of me wanted exactly this. Burning everything down, the two of us standing victorious in the ashes of Arcadia Bay._ “But now you’re in on it, too. Accessory after the fact. Unless you tell on me, of course.”

 

Rachel felt sick after saying it; it made her ill in a way the burning park did not. _I even sound like my dad. Accessory after the fact...that hella blows. But seeing the look in Chloe’s eyes - I don’t think she will tell anyone._ Indeed, the older girl gave her a hard stare before shaking her head. “I’m no snitch.” A dry chuckle followed, but Rachel saw past it. _Joking is her way to deal with life._

 

“I’d be way happier going to jail than having to live at home with Dick-tator David. He announced his plans to move in this morning.” Instead of looking at Rachel, Chloe turned away, letting her eyes wander over the junkyard. _David? Her mother’s new boyfriend? Oh! He might be the man I saw on the parking lot in Blackwell this morning._ For a second, Rachel considered putting an arm around Chloe, but didn’t do so. _Even if she was okay with it last night, we didn’t really talk about it._

 

With a heartfelt empathy, she murmured her reply. “Oh, Chloe that’s awful. I’m so sorry.” _Here we are - trapped in a damn town we both hate; forced to watch our lives fall apart. What would I do, if I hadn’t seen you at that concert? Who could I share my worries with and try to help sort out yours?_ “You know what we both could use? Therapy.” Both the tone of Chloe’s voice and the way her eyes shined conveyed disbelief. “Therapy?”

 

Opening her arms in an invitation, Rachel leaned back against the rainbow beach towel and smiled at the other teenager. “You start. Kick back and tell me what’s bothering you.” For a fraction of a second, Rachel noted the way the taller girl’s foot twitched. _She’s not that thick or shy, is she?_ Yet she needn’t have thought about it; Chloe moved a little closer to her before leaning back on her back; placing her head in Rachel’s lap.

 

They hadn’t been that close together since last night; and the way their eyes met, Rachel wondered for a moment whether kissing would finally be appropriate. _Seems like I am not the only one thinking about it. The way she licks her lips...damn, Price, what are you doing to me?_ Before anything could happen, Chloe took a breath and closed her eyes. “Well, doc…” Surprisingly enough, it seemed as if the wannabe pirate read Rachel’s mind once again.

 

“I’ve been booted from school and I’m not entirely sure what to do about it.” _My fault...kind of._ “You mean how to cope with your feelings of anger and disappointment?” Wording it like this made it seem far more open, not that much a question on whether Chloe felt let down by the slightly younger girl. The smile was both evident on her face and in her voice when she replied to that. “No, I mean how to express my feelings of intense joy. I mean, helping you and getting to piss of Wells? Awesome.” Leaning her head on her hand, Rachel smiled back, feeling better.

 

“Uh huh. Do you think you might be taking this a little too well?” _God. I would scream and shout and throw things all across the fucking room if I were in your place, Price._ Challenge was evident when the older girl kept grinning happily. “You tell me. I’d say I’m exceptionally well adjusted.” _You gotta be kidding me._ Shaking her head and trying not to start laughing, Rachel looked at the blue eyes with the most intense stare she could muster. “I’d bet my therapist’s license that no one’s ever called you that before.”

 

Seeing Chloe smile was worth all of this. _Perhaps her smile is the only thing here that can compete with LA. It’s like...the sun breaking through the clouds; lighting everything up. Smiling Chloe looks even more beautiful._ “Touché, doc.” A moment of companionable silence followed, before Chloe sighed. “There’s this dildo with a moustache who’s been dating my mom and now he thinks he’s moving in with us. How do I stop him?” _I can’t imagine how she must feel...Chloe loved her dad so much…_

 

“Hmm. That’s a hard one. I’m not sure there’s really anything you can do.” A flash of the classical Price defiance appeared in the blue eyes and Rachel felt her heart beating slightly faster. “Then what the hell am I talking to you about?” _You want to make this a competition about having the last word? Ha. I’ll give you a run for your money!_ “Just because you can’t stop him doesn’t mean you don’t fight back. The resistance begins now.”

 

Seeing the other girl so obviously unhappy about that development, Rachel couldn’t help but feel bad about this and wondered what she could say. “Alright…” _What could I say to cheer Chloe Price up?_ “You’re going to need a new nickname to mark your enemy. What have you got?” _Let’s see how creative you really are._ “He’s a stepdouche because he’s inserting himself where he doesn’t belong. Also, he’s a douche.” _Very good, Price, you are a born poet. But I think I can come up with something even worse._ “Poetic. May I also suggest step ladder?”

 

_Okay. I think judging from her confusion, I won._ “Why step ladder?” Studying the blue eyes, Rachel shrugged. “Because he climbs on your mom every night.” Unexpectedly, Chloe lifted her head, shaking it violently. “Ew!” she mouthed before leaning back. “And pretty soon they’ll be stepping down the aisle.” Reaching up, the older girl gave Rachel’s arm a light bump. “What the hell kind of therapist are you?” _Well, I never said I was good at this job, Price. You merely assumed that._ Turning away to look outside for a moment, Rachel continued. “Sorry. It’s called shock therapy.” Overly dramatic, she leaned back in her seat and looked back at Chloe. “Highly controversial.”

 

After that, the silence was a bit longer, more visible, almost. _There is this very big issue I try to avoid thinking of, unless I look out and see the smoke at the horizon._ “So, my new friend, who everyone thinks is perfect, did something batshit-fucking-nutso last night. What do I do?” _Perfect, ey, Price?_ “This perfect friend of yours, who I’m assuming is also an exceptional beauty, sounds like she may have been inspired by someone new in her life.” _Well, what did you think? You are hella inspirational, after all._

 

Giving the other girl a slight smirk, Rachel kept on talking in an nonchalant tone. “Someone who is also, may I add, a knockout in the looks department.” _Damn, these eyes are hella awesome. But why do you keep looking at me as if I am just making fun of you?_ In her lap, Chloe closed her eyes for a moment, shaking her head lightly. “Perhaps this friend of yours, who I reiterate must be just stunning, needed someone in her life to teach her…”  
  
Pulling off a classic Chloe, the older girl interrupted Rachel’s monologue. “How to steal wine from yuppie picnickers?” _My fainting act was simply perfect. But you were so great talking to them as well._ “How not to give a fuck. Because she was tired of having to give so many fucks all the time.” She couldn’t really help it, the disappointment and sadness made a huge comeback near the end of that sentence. _No use to hide it from Chloe anyway._ “That…makes sense…and was actually somewhat therapeutic. Thank you.”

 

Of course, the wannabe pirate immediately got up again, and moved over to the driver’s seat. “It’s always a pleasure delving into the mind of Chloe Price.” _I mean, I could listen to the sound of her voice for hours to no end._ “And now it’s your turn. Tell me all about what it’s like being the daughter of Arcadia Bay’s most famous scumbag.” Gulping hard, Rachel leaned back at the door, still trying to come to terms with the recent events. “It sucks.” That was all she could say; but maybe that was enough. Her disappointed, hurt and still slightly angry tone transported the message clearer than a whole novel would have.

 

Behind her, Chloe cringed. “Too blunt? Sorry. I do that sometimes.” _It’s just…I have to learn to live with that knowledge. That will take more than just a little time._ “Nah, I’m just…ugh, I don’t know. Maybe it is perfect blunt…”  Leaning her head on Chloe’s shoulder, Rachel enjoyed the moment of calm. “Can we talk about something else?” The very presence of the other girl relaxed her a bit, soothing the burning anger she felt whenever her dad was brought up. “Of course.” Trying to cheer her friend up a bit, Chloe murmured something, half to Rachel and half to herself. “Hey, chances are, pretty soon this entire town will be burnt to a smouldering pile of ashes. So, you know, things are really looking up for us.”

 

This reminded her of one of her favourite poems, written by Robert Frost. She had read it for the first time after she had been told that the stars in the sky had been dead for millions of years. _I murmured something about the world ending in darkness, back then...and my teacher ended up quoting that poem for me, trying to convince me that darkness is not the end._ “From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favour fire.”

 

After this, it was just them, listening to each other’s breaths, imagining they could just stay in the moment for all the time. “Do you think there’s a point when you’ve been acting so much that you don’t even have your own personality anymore? You’re just whatever you think other people want you to be?” _Sometimes, I feel like that, back there…in Blackwell. All those labels and things, people say…_ “I think you have a personality” was the lowly mumbled answer close to her ear. _Thank you, Chloe._ “I wasn’t talking about me.” _Like…maybe I was talking about the two of us, my dad and me. I feel like we are actually way more alike than I want it to be._

 

“My dad doesn’t really exist. You saw him in Wells’ office. The whole thing is a performance. And now I’m starting to feel like everything in my life is bullshit.” _This is what it is. The way it feels to be his daughter right now._ Thankfully, the door of the old truck provided Rachel with a spot to lean back against. “But he’s still my dad. How can I make sure I don’t end up like him?” _Always lying and cheating and hurting the persons I hold dear._

 

Proving her own therapeutic skills, the brown haired teenager shook her head. “You couldn’t be like him ever if you wanted to. You’re too awesome.” When saying the final part of that, Chloe sounded minimally shy, as if she was afraid of pushing the boundaries too strongly. “The fact that you believe that makes me feel better.” Feeling the alarm of her phone vibrating, Rachel pulled it out and saw the time.

 

“Shit. Time for the play. As if my life didn’t have enough drama in it.” Chloe smiled at her, simply stating “Break a leg. I mean, that’s dumb, but that’s what you actors want to hear.” _Perhaps she comes over to see the play. That would be nice. I feel a lot better when I am around her._ “Hey, I was thinking that after the show, maybe we could go do something. Just you and me.” Smile spreading on her face, the older girl replied. “Something criminal?” _Hmmm, you tell me, Price._ “Criminally fun.” _Whatever that is going to be. I’ll simply make something up at the spot._ “I’m in.”

 

* * *

 

 

Leaving the bag with the clothes behind, Rachel slowly walked back home. _I hope my parents aren’t there right now. I don’t feel like facing them._ Concentrating on the play instead, mostly her own part, of course, she began to murmur some of the most difficult lines to herself, getting through two and a quarter of an act. Apparently, her dad had headed to the police department and her mom was out, probably shopping groceries – at least the house was empty.

 

Moving to her room, Rachel couldn’t help but notice the bouquet of flowers on her table, and the card next to it. Unable to be angry with her mom, though, she simply let them be after considering to throw them away for a moment. _I wish I could make it easier for her…it will break her heart when she finds out about this mess…_ Swapping her black t-shirt for a white shirt and one of her signature flannels – this time, one with a red and black tartan – Rachel  took a deep breath, feeling the familiar nervousness of an impending performance. _Not quite unlike the nervousness around Chloe…_

 

_Back at school yet again. They’ve got some tents up for dressing rooms._ Texting Chloe had become almost natural by now. _The rehearsal had been really good. Despite the fact that Juliet was unable to be here, I guess. But she knows her lines, so we should be fine._ _What are you up to?_ For a moment, she considered asking her about the play, but she was more curious about what her partner in crime was up to. _Maybe she’ll drop by later._

 

The next message made Rachel shake her head; it was just such a Chloe-thing to say. _I’m here too, actually, running an errand for my dealer_. _Speaking about...partner in crime. We’re such a good match - the arsonist and the...well...thief, I guess? Oh, really! So bad. Come see me when you’re done?_ _Hopefully it won’t take too long, or Chloe will miss the play. yeah for sure_. Unfortunately the smile on her face was washed away by the next message.

 

_ps i saw that woman that your dad was with coming out of my dealer’s rv._ Gulping hard, Rachel tried to make sense of the words. “What?” Looking around quickly, nobody had noted that outburst. _What??_ _Better typing it than shouting, I suppose. apparently she’s causing trouble for a lot of people or something. her name’s sera.?_ Shaking her head, Rachel put her hair behind her left ear, sighing. _rachel?_ Knowing the name made that stranger woman even more real for the teenager. _I think maybe I prefer not knowing her name._ _Too late, though._

 

She almost saw Chloe Price looking guilty. _oh my bad_. Shrugging it off - it was her dad’s fault anyway, not Chloe’s - Rachel replied. _No, it’s fine._ Probably back on track with whatever errant she was running, the next message was a _see ya soon_. _Well, Hayden asked me to listen to his lines once more. I’ll guess I just do that._

 

Two hours and three private rehearsals with Hayden and Dana later, Rachel had officially begun to worry about Chloe. Offering to grab the last requisites from the drama classroom was a good way to be alone, sorting her thoughts. _What the hell is she doing that long? Hopefully it wasn’t super-dangerous and she’s okay._ _How’s your super long errand going?_ The reply both reassured her - at least Chloe is fine enough to type - and worried her. _yo crazy shit happened in drew’s room. Drew North? _

__

_like really bad_. _What happened? Care to elaborate, Price?_ _Oh no. Are you okay? Do you need to talk about it?_ Seeing Chloe hurt was no fucking option for Rachel. _If you need help, just let me know. Maybe I can do better than getting you expelled._ _yeah, later, don’t worry until the show is over_. _Damn, Price, I will worry until I see you’re okay. i’m backstage_. Nodding to herself, she picked up the requisites and typed with one hand. _Great omw._

 

Asking Hayden where Chloe had headed to, Rachel made her way to the makeshift female dressing room, running into Victoria Chase. _What is she up to this time? I have a seriously bad feeling about this…_ “Oh, Rachel, there you are! Hurry now before your tea gets --” _Tea? What tea? I am more of a coffee person anyway?_ Walking around the corner, the lead actress felt immediately better as she saw who else was waiting for her.

 

_Damn, my dark blouse looks so hot when Chloe wears it._ Chloe had seemingly grabbed a white t-shirt and a dark blouse. _I think I wore it for a play back home in LA…_ Quickly scanning the wannabe pirate, Rachel didn’t see any obvious injuries. At once, Victoria’s horribly faked act got smashed to pieces. “What are you doing here? This area is for cast and crew only.” _Hm. Last thing I remember, you are neither main cast nor part of the tech crew, either, Vicky._ With a lifted eyebrow, Chloe simply waved that aside. “I’m here to support Rachel.”

 

Sneering at the brown-haired girl, Victoria crossed her arms. “How nice.” _How nice...I wish both of you could just die. I guess that would be the full sentence._ “I want to make sure she’s relaxed before the show.” _How...peculiar. What do you have in mind, Price?_ “Whatever.” Considering whether she and Chloe could get away with getting the freshman out of their way...permanently, Rachel decided to let things play out, though.

 

With the most faked sugar-coated voice, Victoria grabbed a cup and presented it to Rachel. _I have a really bad feeling. She doesn’t like me at all. Why should she, of all people, try to act nice?_ _But I guess not even Victoria is dumb enough to try and poison me…?_ Exchanging a quick glance with the frowning Chloe, the Cali girl waited for the events to unfold. “Rachel Amber.” _I hate the way she pronounces my name._ “It was customary among the thespians of Ancient Greece for the understudy to offer hot tea to the lead actress on opening night, as a way of showing appreciation for her tutelage.”

_Fascinating. Especially since all the actors in Ancient Greece were male and we never even once practiced together._ “It is in that spirit that I offer you this beverage. May it help to reveal the essence of your talents for all to see.” _Hm. Shall I just drop the cup, claiming to be clumsy and show her how a real actress can improvise?_ “Wow. That, um...thanks?” Thankfully, Chloe Price jumped in to save her yet again. “Hold up. Did you hear that?”

 

Annoyed, Victoria shook her head, staring at the taller girl. “Hear what? I didn’t hear anything.” _Thank you, universe, for giving me Chloe Price, improvisation talent par excellence._ “Oh, I hear it now. It -- It sounds like Mr. Keaton is calling for you.” _Not that he has any reason to do so._ “He is? He probably wants my thoughts on the set dressing. Okay, don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.” _I wouldn’t mind it if you didn’t return. But with Chloe here, I guess I can’t get anything I want._

 

Hoping that Chloe knew a bit more about Victoria’s very weird behaviour, Rachel waited for her to come over before amicably bumping her shoulder. “What’s going on?” Grabbing something from her pocket, she presented some pills to Rachel. “Bitch dosed your tea.” _How low can she probably stoop? I guess I have to correct my previous opinion of that._ Taking the offered box, she studied it for a moment. _Muscle relaxants? This girl needs to get herself a life._

 

“That is...the least surprising thing ever. What should we do?” _I hope we won’t just switch the cups. I want to see her squirm…either by admitting what an evil bitch she is or by drinking that tea._ Of course, Chloe seemed to have read her mind yet again, smirking. “Let’s ask Victoria what she thinks.” Placing a hand on her waist, Rachel smiled at the taller girl. “The direct approach?” _So good. I totally dig that._ Making a show of crossing her arms, Chloe winked. “Kind of my style.” Once more, hazel and blue eyes met in a staring contest, forcing Rachel to say what was on her mind. “I do love your style.”

 

Before there was any chance of more flirting taking place, Blackwell’s worst conspirator returned. “Mr. Keaton’s busy with Nathan. I’m sure he’ll call on my aesthetic sensibilities soon. In the meantime…” _Now let’s see how good you really are at this game. Thinking you are good enough to take Chloe and me? Nope._ Standing directly in front of the understudy, Rachel gave her a hard look; and saw her partner in crime smirking. “Victoria, Chloe says you tried to drug me. That true?” _God…if all people would lie that badly, I’d consider studying law or joining the police. That shock was so evident in her eyes._ “Of course not. Dropout Chloe is clearly directing her misplaced anger at me.”

 

While her friend tensed, Rachel narrowed her eyes a bit. _Dropout, ey?_ “I’m sorry your life is a mess. But it’s not my fault, ‘kay?” _Fuck that. Hopefully you can’t swallow your pride so you have to swallow that tea. Is it so hard not to be a bitch for like two minutes?_ “Hmmm…” Winking at Chloe before looking back, the actress continued in a grave tone. “Chloe, Victoria is my friend. She would never do anything to sabotage me.” _Rather, incapacitate. Or maybe harm._

 

Once more, Victoria Chase proved her inability to act, a victorious sneer on her face. _Could she at least try to keep her face smooth? She’s making it so hard for me to not start laughing._ Shrugging her shoulders, the infamous ex-student managed to keep her face smooth as she begun talking. “Then she should prove it. Drink the tea.” Again, shock crossed the freshman’s face. “What?” _Ha. An act she wanted, an act she’ll get. But it will be a tragedy for her and a comedy for us._ “I wouldn’t dare insult Victoria’s integrity like that.” Playing this game was almost too tempting – building up a sense of security before destroying it again at once; burning it down to the ashes.

  
“Then again, if that’s what it’ll take to convince you that Victoria is a good and caring person…fine.” _We won’t force you to drink it if you just say the truth._ Unfortunately, Rachel felt her rather good act slipping for a mere second; thankfully Victoria was way more into taking pictures than reading other people. “Come on, Vic. Put ‘Dropout Chloe’ in her place once and for all.” _The place at my side; as the one person having my back – and vice versa, of course._

 

As she kept on looking for an escape, her eyes flickering between the two older girls; Victoria grabbed the cup and gulped down the tea. Perhaps it was admirably, that she was willing to keep up the act neither teenager believed, but it wasn’t the smartest move. “Happy?” Her voice dripped with venom, but no venom would be enough to break through Chloe’s façade. “So. Happy.” This reply was clearly not what the photographer wanted to hear. “Whatever. If you’re done accusing me of things, I’ll just be on my way. Bitches.” _Damn, nobody walks like that. I am so not going to do that extended senior stuff. Leaving this town with Chloe is the top priority; but never seeing her again is rapidly on its way to become number two._

 

Both teenagers started laughing the moment they were alone in the tent. Bumping shoulders once more, Rachel smiled. “Saved my ass again, Price.” _And this time, I could have ended up in hospital. Well, fuck._ Sounding quite pleased with herself, Chloe grinned. “All in a day’s work. And this had been a particularly batshit crazy day.” _Agreed. But despite all of it, we got to spend more time together, which feels…nice. Almost too nice, actually. Nice in a non-friendship way, to be honest._ “Oh, hey, that’s mine! A skull-shirt for my most favourite punk. I knew you were going to pick that one.” _Well, I mean, I totally didn’t spend my time walking back to school trying to make up such a sentence for every single shirt in that bag._ “You can read me like a script, Rachel Amber.”

 

The difference between the way Chloe pronounced her name and the way Victoria did that just minutes earlier couldn’t have been any bigger. _When Chloe says my name, it just makes me feel good. Safe._ Unfortunately, a voice from outside the tent – Mr. Keaton’s voice – ruined the moment. “Sweet tarnations, we’re ruined! The show is ruined!” Sharing one final look with the taller girl, Rachel murmured “That was quick.” before they left the tent.

 

Standing outside, in a way that suggested he was performing in a Shakespeare tragedy; Mr. Keaton closed his eyes for a moment to gather his thoughts. “My dear young artists, a misfortune most unkind has befallen us. Juliet is waylaid. That infernal inferno is the culprit, closing down the roads and robbing us of our Ariel. Would that she could but manifest on her master’s whim as a true spirit. Alas…” Leaning his head back, the Blackwell teacher stared at the sky, still lit up by the fire. “Devoid of an understudy, the situation is a dire one indeed. I’m afraid we may have to cancel.”

 

_Hmmm. What was it that Wells said this morning? Understudies for all kinds of situations?_ “Truly, we are a cursed lot. Even my prodigious imagination cannot conceive of a worse turn of fate.” Seeing the way Victoria started to stumble, though, Rachel could come up with a worse turn. _Damn, she seriously overdosed that stuff._ A few seconds later, the deceiving girl was out cold and Mr. Keaton sighed. “Touché.”

 

_Chloe was willing to even get kicked out of school, so I could be on this stage today. Plus, she’s awesome at improvisation games. Not to mention that I kind of want her on the stage with me. Keaton’s speech was rather…inspirational._ Slowly stepping backwards, she almost felt the way Chloe pieced it all together. _She’s going to be my Ariel tonight. Even when she tries to nope out first. The two of us will give them a show to remember._ “What?” the brown-haired girl asked, even before Rachel could say anything.

 

_Hmm…she knows exactly what is going to happen, as well as I do._ “Oh, no.” Normally, Rachel might have relented, but not this time. “Mr. Keaton, Chloe could step in for Juliet.” In that moment, the perfected coolness of Chloe Elizabeth Price got crashed for the fraction of a second. “No fucking chance.” Ignoring the protests from the left side, the younger teenager simply continued. “At least until the road’s clear.” A thoughtful nod from Mr. Keaton and a slight smile made Rachel push further. “She’s the right fit for Juliet’s costume.” _Just making it all seem practical, instead of personal._

 

Pointedly ignoring Chloe’s incredulous look, Mr. Keaton studied her for a moment. “She is indeed.” With that, he stepped down from the platform, walking closer to his lead actress and the one person that might be able to save the play. “Tell me, my dear, have you ever acted before?” Ignoring the approaching teacher, the ex-student rather looked at the other girl. “Hell no.” _Protesting won’t help. Not this time, at least._ “She’s being modest. We play improve games all the time, and she’s fantastic at it.” _That ambidextrous comment in the park? Hella good, Price._ “My dear, what if I told you that the entire fate of the production rests upon your slender shoulders?” _I bet that Chloe will still try to avoid it._

 

Rachel felt the side-glance of her friend. “I’d say you’re super fucked.” _Okay, bet won. I almost feel bad doing this, but I know we’re going to have a hella good time on stage._ Stretching out one hand, her eyes searched Chloe’s, pleadingly. “Chloe, please. For me.” Resisting for a full five seconds, Chloe looked at the Cali girl before closing her eyes, sighing, accepting her fate.

 

_Time to finally tell Chloe how I really feel. In a way she will probably don’t even notice it, but it never hurts to practice._ “By accident most strange, bountiful Fortune hath mine enemies brought to this short. Here cease more questions. Thou art inclined to sleep.” Moving over to her fellow actress Dana, Rachel lifted her hand, signalizing her to lie down. “’Tis a good dullness, and give it way. I know thou canst not choose. Come away, servant, come!” _Come on, Chloe. I am dying to see you sporting that costume._ “I am ready now! Approach, my Ariel. Come!” _Maybe I should at least try and stop smirking._

 

Sighing in a way of total annoyance, Chloe stretched her hand out. _I hope she knows the lines. Otherwise I have to improvise something to make it seem intended. She hadn’t had that much time to learn the script._ “All hail, great mistress. I come to answer thy best pleasure.” The tone was almost annoyed, challenging. _Really, Chloe, do you now?_ “Most fearless, generous spirit. Hast thou performed to point the tempest that I bade thee?” _Fearless and generous indeed, or you wouldn’t be here with me._

 

Going over her lines for a moment, Chloe frowned before replying, hoping she got it right. “I boarded the King’s ship; in every cabin, I flamed amazement.” _I suppose she could sound a little bit more enthusiastic, but I’ll get her to that point soon enough._ “The fire and cracks of sulphurous roaring the most mighty Neptune seem’d to besiege and make his bold waves tremble.” Chloe finished the sentence with a nod - in a way that seemed to indicate “fuck, yeah, got it, over” and judging from her facial expression, she also felt that way. “My brave spirit. Who was so firm, so constant, that this coil would not infect his reason?” Finally really looking at each other, Rachel gave her partner a small smile and a barely visible nod. _You’re doing good. Just keep going._ “Not a soul. The King’s son, Ferdinand, was the first man that leaped from his ship…and cried…” _Hell is empty._ “Cried ‘Hell is empty, and all the devils are here!’” _I do suppose there are a lot of devils around Blackwell and this town in general._ “But are they, Ariel, safe?”

 

Taking a step back, Chloe moved around, heading to the shipwreck. _At least I hope she goes there. Even with that little post-it, I can’t be 100% sure._ Quiet steps indicated that the other teenager had indeed managed to find her spot, so Rachel turned around and saw her standing on top of the thing. “Not a hair perished, and, as thou bad’st me…I have dispersed them ‘bout the isle…” Taking a second to jump back down to stage level, Chloe actually smiled before finishing with “in troops!”

 

_So far, so good. I just hope Chloe will not be too irritated when I start to go off script with her._ Knowing what she was going to do, Rachel moved over, placed a hand on Chloe’s arm and led her back to the centre of the stage. “Ariel, thy charge exactly is performed. But there’s more work.” Again, they looked straight at each other, and she could see the hope in Chloe’s eyes – hope that this would be over very, very soon. _Not so fast._ “Is there more toil? Let me remember thee what thou hast promised.” _Alright. Just wait until she says liberty. Admittedly, she sounds really annoyed._ “How now? What is ‘t thou canst demand?” Her tone came off just perfectly, both minimally offended by that statement and questioning at the same time.

 

Looking down at the stage, the older girl took a deep breath, before looking back at Rachel, sounding demanding. “My liberty.” _From this stage? Fuck. Here we go. I hope none of the people here truly gets it and that Mr. Keaton won’t interrupt us._ “Thy liberty?” Shaking her head in a defiant move, Rachel looked at her stage partner. “Nay! This most of all I will not grant.” _Please, just play along so I can pull this off._ Seemingly, it was a lucky moment and all the improve games paid off. “But…thou assured my freedom…didn’t thou?”

 

_Damn. No going back now. But she seems less surprised than I expected her to be._ “I never said how dearly I hold thee; my habit’s been to keep my soul well-draped. Most loyal spirit…companion and friend…is acting in my service not replete with excitement, amusement, and delight?” Noticing the understanding flashing in the blue eyes made her truly smile, especially since Chloe decided to keep going along. “Of course, mistress…most truly it is so.” Improvising on the spot wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but it came naturally to both of them. “Then why, I pray you, wish you to be free?”

 

Unable to hold the eye contact any longer, Chloe looked down for a moment. “Excitement’s…a mere…counterfeit of bliss. These storms and these adventures? I prefer…” Suddenly, seeing a smile ghosting around Rachel’s lips, the older girl understood that this wasn’t about to play anymore – or maybe about the play to begin with; but all about them. “To know…thou still cared for my…plainest self.” Raising the staff and slamming it back to the ground, Rachel shook her head. “I have thee in my grasp; I will not bend. I will not see thee flying forth alone! The envy would be more than I could bear.” _You, leaving this town without me? Unthinkable._

 

“So come with me! Is that not in thy pow’r?” There was defiance and a suggestion in the way Chloe replied. _So this is it. I am actually going to fucking propose to Chloe on a damn High School stage in front of everyone._ “Spirit, take my hands, most faithful friend.” Bending one knee and dropping the staff, Rachel looked up at her partner in crime – currently disguised as a mixture of a spirit and a raven. “Spirit, take my hands, most faithful friend.” A slight confusion entered Chloe’s eyes, but nonetheless, she didn’t mind holding out her right hand. “For a little longer I beseech: continue in thy service to my schemes.” _Not much longer, and we will get out of here, forgetting this town…together._

 

“And when they are complete, I swear to thee – we shall fly beyond this isle – the corners of the world our mere prologue.” There was no sound coming from the audience; everyone was caught up watching the moment on stage unfold. “I’ll seek to make thy happiness so great that e’en the name of liberty’s forgot. What sayest thou to my most hopeful wish?” Unsure about what was happening right there and then, Chloe looked around, prolonging whatever was going on, before a random female voice from the audience cried “Say yes!”

 

With that, for the first time since she had set a food on that stage, Chloe smiled, really smiled, the way Rachel had wanted to see it. “Yes.” _I will make you smile like this every day, I swear it to you._ “I am most pleased.” Getting back up and back into the real script, Rachel continued. “Your duty, done for now. So go forth with haste! I’ve work to do.” Relief seemed to wash over Chloe, as she realized that she could exit the stage now. As Rachel would find out some time later, the relief didn’t last long; as Mr. Keaton told the other teenager he would make sure she would take part in the next year’s play as well.

 

The rest of the play was surprisingly uneventful. Nathan pulled off a good, rather angry Caliban; Juliet was there for the next scene with Ariel and Hayden actually managed to recall his lines. _Well, guess it was good I did that extra rehearsal with him._ This was what made her love being on stage, acting – the standing ovations, the way people would forget about their own lives for a moment, concentrating on the play instead. But someone was missing. _You didn’t evade the toil, so I won’t let you evade the triumph._ Chloe was still standing in the backstage area, trying to look as if she wasn’t there to begin with. A slight wave and a headshake in return and Rachel sighed. _If she wants it the hard way, she gets it._

 

Ignoring the non-verbal protests, Rachel walked over and placed a hand on Chloe’s lower back, dragging her on stage again. “Wasn’t that fun?” _Do I have to buy a ring now? Probably not since I am sure nobody got that._ Protesting, but grinning at the same time, Chloe kept shaking her head. “You’re so dead.” _Am I, now?_ “Yeah? How dead?” _I will get you to admit that you enjoyed yourself out here with me._ Pushing her in the front, the answer came just before Chloe bent in front of the audience. “Hella dead.”

 

* * *

 

They stayed for a little while longer, talking about the play with the other actors and Mr. Keaton. Luckily for Rachel – or not so luckily, maybe – nobody had understood what she had been intending to do when she went off script. But everyone told them it was brilliant and magical, so she let it be. “Come on, Chloe. Let’s get out of here.” Rachel switched her costume for her regular clothes; waiting for Chloe near the parking lot. “Well, Rachel, it seems to me you got a lot faster when changing your clothes. You surely weren’t that fast yesterday.” _Oh, fuck. Dammit._ Only winking at her; the older girl didn’t elaborate the subject, but the slight smirk made it clear what it was about. _Me avoiding to get dressed to make you squirm. I have the feeling Chloe will get back on me one day for that._

 

Moving over the empty parking lot, Rachel decided to bring up the topic of Chloe’s latest messages – and probably the reason why she looked tense. “What happened in Drew’s room? I mean, you look alright, but I would like you to tell me.” Running a hand through her short brown hair, Chloe looked actually nervous. “So, I owed my dealer, Frank, money. He suggested I could an errand for him and then he’ll forget my debt. It sounded rather easy at first – getting into the dorms, break into Drew’s room and collect the grand he has stolen from that guy…Damon Merrick.” Rachel contemplated it for a second. “Isn’t he the guy who owns that mill?” Sighing, Chloe nodded. “Owned. It burned down. But yeah, that’s this fucking guy.”

 

Walking down the street for half a block, the two of them sat down on a little brick wall in front of someone’s garden. _Everything’s dark. Nobody is going to bother us here._ “So I got into the room, found the money and just as I was about to get the fuck out of there Drew’s little brother Mikey walked in. Drew came in a second later, totally worried. Turned that he was chased by Damon about that money…” Staring down at her shoes, Chloe wasn’t quite sure how to continue.

 

Licking her lips, she sighed. “Damon started to beat Drew up and…fuck; I opened the door and gave him the money. Unfortunately Mikey got caught up in this and…like…damn. Damon broke his arm.” Wrapping her arm around the taller girl’s shoulders, Rachel sighed. “It wasn’t your fault. You did what you had to do. If it makes you feel any better, we’ll go and visit him.” Suddenly, Chloe smirked. “If that is supposed to be you making up to me that I had to step on a damn stage…well…I think I can come up with something better tomorrow.” _Tomorrow, ey? Means we have tonight...and I can try and cheer Chloe up a bit._ “So…how do you feel like taking a walk through this awful town and avoid both my parents and your mother?” Jumping to her feet, Chloe nodded, shaking off the worry for a while. “Sounds really good!”

 

The night was surprisingly warm and the smell of burning wood was around them when the two teenage girls wandered through the abandoned streets of Arcadia Bay. _We could fucking die out here and nobody would even notice until tomorrow morning..._ Both of them were smiling broadly, though, enjoying each other’s company. _Maybe recalling the play will make Chloe laugh._ “Oh my god, Keaton’s face behind you when you walked on stage…” While Rachel had been unable to hear the whispered dialogue, the facial expression of intense fear had been rather obvious.

 

Laughing, Chloe shook her head. “Ugh, I was shitting myself!” _Nah, you were totally cool in comparison._ “He was shitting himself!” _I guess he’s a better director than an actor._ “That dude owes me.” _Well, I suppose he won’t care about Wells and will do anything to get you into the play next year._ Deciding to make Chloe laugh once more, Rachel tapped into her acting skills, trying to pull off Mr. Keaton. “My dear, what if I told you that the entire fate of our production rests upon your slender shoulders?” It worked; both of them started laughing again.

 

It was the only sound, besides some crickets chirping in the grass. _I really feel as if the two of us are the only persons around here…_ Watching the way the moths were drawn to the streetlights they randomly passed; seeing the red fire raging in the distance – the night felt perfect. “I’ve never had an experience like that onstage.” _I also never proposed to anyone on stage so far…but damn, Price, just seeing you like that…_ Walking a few steps ahead before turning around to speak with Chloe, the other girl kept smiling. “Yeah, right! You were…” _No, this is not about me._ Continuing to walk backwards, Rachel protested. “No, you. Like, seriously…” Jumping on the small sidewalk, the lead actress balanced while walking. “I love nights after a show!” For a moment, she matched Chloe in height, but then the older girl followed her, also jumping up there. “Is it always like this?”

 

_Nope. It never felt like this before, not the way it feels with you being here with me. Of course it always feels good, but this is a lot better than usual._ “Oh, totally! It’s such a high. No more nerves, just the adrenaline…” Back on the street, she stopped for a moment, not wanting to have this conversation while they walked. _I want to see her eyes when she answers me._ “So, first-timer, are you proud of yourself? You were literally perfect tonight. I was blown away.” Contemplating it for a moment, watching the way the younger girl smiled at her, Chloe shook her head, but kept smiling.

  
“Yeah, I feel…really awesome. If you’d told me this morning I’d be this happy tonight?” That wasn’t a lie, the smile and the way her blue eyes shined made that very clear. “You’ve gone through so much shit today.” Reaching up to her neck, Chloe did not look away; instead she intensified the eye contact. “Right now’s pretty good.” For a moment, it was silent again. “Okay, the whole show was good, I admit it.” _Yes! I am not sure how I will do it, but I will make sure that the play next year is going to be ‘Twelfth Night’. We could have so much fun on stage as Viola and Orsino._ “Yeah.” Breathing out, there was only one thing Rachel could act. “It was magical.”

 

Going all in, she went to Chloe’s side, holding out her hand, hoping the other girl would grab and hold it. Her wannabe pirate did not disappoint Rachel, after a moment, they were continuing their nightly stroll hand in hand. _We could do better than just holding hands, I suppose. But I don’t want to seem too desperate…or pushing. Fuck. Why isn’t there a manual? Even Shakespeare doesn’t help._ Stopping abruptly, she faced the other girl. “Let’s leave. For real.” Letting go off her hand, Rachel jumped up to the streetlight. “For real, huh?” _She sounds…down. Sad, almost._ “You said you wanted to skip town and never look back. Like I said last night, let’s do it!”

 

Chloe chuckled for a moment, but it didn’t sound nearly as happy as before, when they joked about the play. “I know. I’ve been thinking about that all day! But that was--” _Nope. You’re not going to say it. I won’t let you lie about this thing…especially because we know the truth._ Raising her hand in protest, Rachel faced the older teenager again. “Don’t say it was just a crazy thought. You mean it, I can tell. You want this.” _Just like me. We both want this._ “Yeah, but…like, eventually!” _Eventually is a very flexible way to measure time. Let me switch it to…now for you._ With that thought in mind, she simply said it: “Let’s go now.”

 

Moving over to Chloe, getting back closer to her, she continued. “Didn’t we already agree onstage?” _Okay, yeah, that one’s complicated, I admit it._ “We can’t just…” _Sometimes, all you have to do is jump._ “Why not?” It was an almost deafening silence, just like on the junkyard and later at the national park the day before. Almost seeing the way Chloe thought hard about it, trying to come up with a good reason; some valid explanation. Not interrupting, Rachel simply waited, trying to melt down any possible resistance with the intense way her hazel eyes looked at Chloe.

 

She gave up trying. Lifting her hands, the resistance was over. “Fine, then, Drama Queen, where are we going?” Chuckling once, relieved and happy, Rachel decided that this decision wouldn’t be hers. _I mean, I want to go back to LA, but like I said – anywhere but here is fine, as long as it’s the two of us._ “You tell me. What uniquely twisted location does Chloe Price plus Rachel Amber equal?” Unknowingly, they were standing in a way that reminded Rachel of the old Western movies – standing on an empty street, facing each other a few feet apart, waiting for the next thing to happen. In their case, it was an answer though, not pulling a gun.

  
Placing one hand on her hip and tilting her head, Chloe thought it over. “Hmm…” Grinning again, she came up with the place she wanted them to go. “Why don’t you show me LA?” _Really? Damn, this is going to be so good. You will love it there, the way I love being there._ Closing the distance between them, Rachel murmured “Perfect.” Her acting skills did not fail to impress, as she wanted to present the city the way it would be praised in an advertisement. “Sixty degrees every night. You and me on the Santa Monica pier, gorging on food truck food, smoking up, looking at the moon shining on the waves.” _And since I’m being cheesy again, whatever. I’ll just say it._ “And a beautiful blonde man will sit next to us and smile at you.”

 

Obviously, whatever Chloe Price had expected, it wasn’t that. “Yeah, okay.” Taking the opportunity to study her very closely – _I have to be in character here, can’t help it_ – Rachel continued. “He’ll say ‘I like your eyes.’ and I’ll say, ‘Back off, she’s with me.’” _Hopefully that is finally enough for her to see it. I mean, fuck. What else should I do? Write her a fucking love poem? She doesn’t even like poetry._ Pushing her slightly at the shoulder, Chloe shook her head, laughing. “You’re full of shit.” _Just what did I do to deserve this? I mean…she admitted it last night. Well, fuck._

 

Standing under the lamppost, in the circle illuminated by the streetlight, Rachel took a deep, calming breath. “I love this time of night! Don’t you just feel like everything’s possible?” _Literally everything – including us leaving this town._ Moving back and forth under the light, she waited for any kind of reply and got one she didn’t want to hear. “Rachel, stop.” Closed eyes, sighing…the Blackwell dropout looked torn. “If you don’t mean this, it’s just making me feel like shit that this life you’re describing isn’t going to happen.” _Damn, what else can I do to prove that I am not making fun of you? That I would never willing hurt you?_

Grabbing both hands and turning them around on the street, Rachel answered the other girl, impatiently. “For fuck’s sake! I’ve never been more serious in my life.” _I mean it, I really do._ “Chloe. What would it take to convince you?” _It doesn’t matter what you say, you’re going to get it from me anyway._ The other teenager seemed to ponder it over; wreck her brain; trying to find a solution to this problem. “How about...um…” She leaned slightly forward before pulling back and repeating the process, all the while avoiding looking Rachel in the eye. What Chloe wanted was clear, though, evident in her ocean blue eyes. _It’s now or never, Amber. Damn. Like…finally. I thought we would never get here._

 

Not that she would admit that, not out loud; and not to Chloe. What would she think if she heard of the sudden obsession Rachel had developed for her? “Oh”, Rachel said instead and placed a grip on Chloe’s wrists. _I am actually going to do this. I am really going to have my first kiss under some lamppost with Chloe Price._ “Hmm...” That little sound was enough to still Chloe’s movements. They were so close now and Rachel was hyper-aware of that. She kept her eyes open as she stood on tiptoe, far too afraid of missing and leaned in.

 

It was slow, almost painfully so, but Chloe responded eagerly, tilting her head down to make it easier for the smaller girl. Rachel didn’t want to stop – _ever_ \- having Chloe Price that close, in such an intimate way, was the best thing ever. Forget the feeling after a show. That was a million times better; hella amazing. But she had to make herself stop, even if only to look into these ocean blue eyes again. Damn, Rachel regretted that immediately. _One kiss; and I am already so hooked up on her that I couldn’t stop it anymore, even if I wanted to. Not that I would ever want to stop kissing her._

 

Deciding to be playful about it, she gave her - well, was Chloe her girlfriend now? Was that how it worked? - partner in crime a sweet smile. “Is that convincing enough?” Not that it mattered at this point. Even if Chloe would say something like “I could be more convinced”, Rachel would kiss her again immediately, until the other girl would finally believe her. But these bright blue eyes, sparkling with happiness, met her hazel ones and Chloe took a deep breath. “Ye--” _Fuck that. Who cares about talking when we can keep on kissing instead?_

 

Rachel lifted her hands, cupping the older girl’s face gently and leaned in for another kiss. Once more, all she could feel was Chloe - her warmth, her scent of tobacco and fresh grass, her lips. She was burning now, on fire. Just when she asked herself what could possibly be better than _this_ , Rachel felt a pair of arms wrapping themselves around her, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. This time, the blonde teenager didn’t back out, kept going until she had to get some fresh air.

 

For the rest of her life, Rachel Amber would never forget the way Chloe Price smiled at her in that moment, the far-away, happy look in her eyes and how she murmured “Holy shit”, unable to find any more adequate expressions. But who was she to talk about that? Nothing else than a somewhat unsure “Right?” managed to escape her lips. _Hmm? It’s raining ash?_ Breaking the moment, both teenagers looked up, seeing the ash falling from the sky. “What is this stuff?” _Oh wow. I suppose that’s what happens when both of us rather act than talk about our relationship. I did know about this happening, though, somehow._

 

Watching the ash slowly falling, Rachel looked at her companion. _We really have to at least sort out what to call each other from now on._ “I think it’s a sign. I think we should leave tonight.” _Before this whole town gets consumed by the flames. Go to LA…where it’s warm and sunny…and maybe safer than here._ “Really?” This time, the question sounded far less doubtful, but just as if Chloe wanted a small confirmation. Tucking her hair behind her left ear, trying to shake off some ash in the process, Rachel’s reply was soft. “If you want to, I’m ready.”

 

Noticing that there wouldn’t be another kiss in that moment, Rachel went for the practical route again. “Let’s go sneak some clothes and stuff from my house.” The smirk on Chloe’s face was unexpected, but very welcome. “For you or for me?” _After this kiss, I suppose we can finally go full on flirt._ ”I gotta say, my clothes look damn good on you.” _No, I don’t joke about taking these clothes off Chloe. Fuck. Too soon. Definitely too soon._ “Cool, let’s do it.”

 

* * *

 

Running down the road to the Amber house, ash kept falling from the sky. _One more reason to leave this town fast._ _Hm? Where is Chloe?_ Just as she was about to open the door, Rachel turned around, seeing the other teenager still standing on the street. Waving expectantly at her, the taller girl contemplated everything for a moment before she relented and moved to the door.

 

Peeking around the side, Rachel noted her mom in the kitchen, preparing food. _Sorry, mom, but I can’t help you out this time._ Lifting one finger to her lips, the actress motioned for Chloe to be hella quiet. Winking, the older girl copied the pistol imitation Rachel had pulled off earlier that day. Slowly, carefully, both teenagers sneaked through the room. _Thankfully both of us wear sneakers._

 

As soon as Rachel stepped on the first step to go upstairs, their luck ran out. _Fuck._ She was staring right into her dad’s green eyes. _It would have been far too nice if this had worked out._ “Oh. You’re home.” _Yeah. And unfortunately I got caught...just my kind of fortunate experience._ Immediately stepping back and standing next to Chloe, Rachel cursed under her breath and crossed her arms. _Be careful what you say, dad. Be hella careful._

 

While he had been talking to his daughter, his eyes had flickered to the other girl for a moment. “Rose, Rachel’s home. And she, um, brought her new friend.” _Stop being so awful to Chloe. She has done nothing wrong - unlike you._ Rose put down her knife and came over. “Our star returns.” Leaning forward to hug her daughter, she smiled. “You’re just in time. Dinner’s almost ready.” _Well, fuck. I don’t feel like having some family dinner right now._ “Chloe, was it?”

 

Feeling her stage partner tense next to her, Rachel wished she could somehow help her out. _But I suppose she’ll handle it just fine._ With a slightly ironic smirk on her lips, Chloe nodded. “Nailed it. I must have been pretty memorable.” _Well, getting expelled for me left quite an impression on both of them. Unfortunately recognizing irony is not mom’s forte._ “You were. I get the sense that you’re used to making an impression.” _Chloe leaves the best impressions, if she wants to._

Her dad spoke up again. “Rachel, honey, you were resplendent tonight.” Unable to keep any act up in this moment, the younger girl merely nodded and looked at the parquet. “Thanks.” Sensing the uncomfortable silence, Rose decided to break it. “Chloe, you must join us for dinner tonight.” Seeing the panicked expression in the blue eyes, Rachel weakly tried to protest. “She must?” Jumping right in, the brown haired girl agreed. “I must?” “Of course.” _Shut up, dad. Stop ordering her around the way you order me around more often than not._

 

“I made chicken a la king. I’m sure both of you acted up quite the appetite.” _I think we would rather eat in Portland or somewhere in California. Well, fuck, everywhere but here with my cheating father._ “Yeah, no thanks. I’m more of a Burger a la King kinda gal” _Oh god. Chloe...like...why?_ “She’s funny, this one.” _She’s a lot more than just funny, believe me. Badass, cool, hella good kisser…not that I will tell you about this._ “I’m aware.”

 

Despite Chloe’s protest, James spoke up. “Chloe, I know we didn’t exactly meet each other at our best this morning. But with you and Rachel becoming such fast friends, I insist you join us for dinner. Don’t you agree, Rachel?” _Erm…is nobody even going to ask me if I want to eat dinner here? Because I’m more up for joining Chloe at wherever she wants to grab a burger._ “Yes, of course. Chloe, would you join us for dinner, please?” Noticing the surprisingly pleading look in the hazel eyes, the taller girl nodded. “Of course.”

 

_Okay. I gotta make something up quick, so I can put stuff in a bag._ “Great. I just need to wash off, and then I’ll be right down.” _Talking about sounding insincere. But with my dad looking at me like this, I can’t keep it up much longer._ “Don’t be long. In the meantime, perhaps you can help me with the table, Chloe?” _Please, god – universe – karma – whatever, don’t make them interrogate her too hard._ “Sure thing…Mrs. Amber.” _Good thing that Chloe has some serious acting skills as well._ Watching her parents move away, Rachel lowered her voice to a whisper. “Okay, I’m going to go pack. After dinner we can make our break. You cool down here?”

 

Using irony to cover over her feeling of discomfort, Chloe nodded. “Totally. Your parents love me.” _At least we both know that this is not true. Although…after you took the blame for my idea. I dunno._ “They’re good at coming off that way, but don’t let your guard down.” _Please, try to interact with my dad as little as possible._ “And Chloe. We just need to make it through dinner. Try not to say anything that…you know…” _I don’t want to say that loud, actually._ Sounding far too amused, the older teenager shrugged. “That I would normally say?” “Exactly.” Not wanting to waste any more time, Rachel sighed and made her way up the stairs.

 

Another déjà vu for Rachel Amber, but this time it wasn’t just a weird feeling or thought. “I did pack a similar bag for Chloe this morning, after all”, she murmured as she grabbed the duffle bag. Opening her drawer, she quickly pulled out stuff to wear; throwing in the money, a first aid book, a flashlight…whatever she thought would be useful. _I hope we can make it through dinner. I can’t wait to get out of this town._  

 

As soon as she was walking down the stairs again, Chloe shot her a grateful look. _Seems like I arrived just in time._ “Time for dinner.” Sitting down on her usual spot, Rachel motioned for Chloe to sit down next to her. As usual, dinner was a rather quiet affair. _Not that there is much to talk about, besides my dad cheating on my mom…_ Behind her, the old clock ticked, measuring the passing time with each swing of the pendulum. _I wish it could beat faster. The sooner we get out of here, the better. Leave this all behind – this town, the trouble with our parents, the feeling of slowly dying with each day that passes meaningless._ Unbothered by the impatient blonde Cali girl, the clock continued its swings slowly and steadily.

 

Unfortunately, Rose decided to start some small talk. _Fuck._ “So, Chloe, are you and Rachel in any of the same classes?” _Mom! She got expelled this morning…while you were standing in the same room._ Looking over to the other girl quickly, Rachel found her partner in crime unbothered by the question, though. Blue eyes quickly glancing at hazel ones, Chloe replied. “Not since this morning.” _Damn. She sounds less sarcastic and more…sad. Fuck._

 

Across the table, Rose’s face fell. “Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry.” The older teenager shrugged, murmuring “No, that’s cool. We’re not.” before staring down at her food again. _Topic. Any topic. Anything before my dad begins talking about some stuff._ “Dinner’s really good, Mom.” _Well, fuck._ Next to her, Chloe nodded - anything to avoid more dangerous topics. “Yeah. Do you like to cook…stuff, Mrs. Amber?” _Well, I am sure from this tone, you would still prefer us going to Burger King._

 

Smiling at the taller girl, Mrs. Amber nodded. “Yes, I try my best, thank you.” Apparently, Chloe tried to stay away from the “cheating husband revelation”, so Rachel hopped on the same train. “I didn’t think about it before, but I remember eating at the Two Whales a few weeks ago. Really, Chloe, your mom makes some hella amazing eggs and bacon!” Grateful for the easy topic, the other teenager nodded. “Yeah, her coffee is the best. But…you know, sometimes you just don’t feel like eating diner type food the whole time. At least I feel like this.”

 

The silence took over again, and Rachel had a hard time eating. _This won’t end well. I already feel it._ But instead of James, it was Rose who started talking again. “I cannot imagine how difficult these last few years have been for you, Chloe. Now that you and Rachel have become friends, I want you to know that our home is always open to you.” _Mom…I love you, but…fuck. That’s nice, but hella insensitive._ Beside her, Chloe tensed, unhappy at yet another person reminding her about her dead father. “Cool, thanks.” She sounded rather tired and didn’t want to get any deeper into this topic.

 

“Well said, dear. It’s imperative that we remember what is most important to us. Family”, James added, placing his hand on Rose’s. Despite the fact that she felt Chloe’s warning gaze, Rachel couldn’t help but narrow her eyes. _You hypocrite. Cheating on your wife and claim to be the perfect family man at the same time. Fuck off._ “Family is not merely a gift. It is a responsibility. As such, those we love must be cared for. And never, ever taken for granted.” Resting her hands flat on the table, the blonde Cali girl did her best to avoid clenching them.

 

Chloe had read the signals right, though, and tried to intervene. “Uh yeah, that’s super true. And also remember, Rachel, that even when shit’s, like, the lamest ever, you can always run away from whatever’s bothering you.” The tone was forced to be casual, before a slight warning crept in. “As long as you just keep calm.” _Deep breath. She’s right. I just have to keep my temper in check, make it through this dinner and then we’re gone. I will never have to see his face again or listen to his lies._

 

Across the table, Rose Amber chuckled at the teenager. “An interesting philosophy, Chloe.” _Oh, this isn’t about her at all, but all about me, mom. And you would be angry, too, if you knew what he did._ Nodding, James decided to add his own thoughts about the topic. “Yes, indeed. Not one that I would endorse, however. I favour confronting my problems head on. But to each their own, I suppose.” _That’s it. I am fucking done._ Unable to bite her tongue any longer, Rachel focused on her plate, murmuring “Oh, fucking blow me.” She usually tried to avoid swearing around her parents, but she could not care any less than in this moment.

  
“Rachel?” _Sorry, Chloe. I won’t listen to this bullshit any fucking longer._ Next to her, the older girl had read the signs correctly again and tried another hopeless attempt to calm Rachel down. In a very obvious move, she let her fork fall down to the floor. “Ah crap, I’m so clumsy. Rachel, can you come help me find another fork?” _Enough already._ She felt it now, the way her anger was pulsing through her veins, tinting in shades of red again. “Stop it, Chloe.”

 

Turning her head around rapidly, she focused her dad, hazel eyes burning with rage. “I can’t sit here and listen to this bullshit anymore.” The reply she got was a weak one, a chastising one, impatient – “Rachel…” _No, I fucking won’t let him talk his way out of this._ “Stop it, Dad. You’re a hypocrite, okay? I know!” This wasn’t enough though, not nearly enough. All the anger and frustration that had been building up ever since she looked through the viewfinder simply demanded to be let out.

 

“You lying, cheating, piece of shit motherfucker.” Even that wasn’t enough, especially as Rachel studied her father’s face. _He doesn’t even have the fucking decency to look guilty._ “Excuse me?” _Since you already thought that it was my idea to skip school – here’s the reason you wanted so badly._ “We saw you. Yesterday. At the overlook.” There was a questioning whisper as Rachel noticed her mother’s lips moving, but she went for it, finally saying it loud, almost spitting it in her father’s face. “Kissing that woman.”

 

Saying it out loud hurt more than Rachel had expected. “Rachel, honey, whatever you saw or think you saw…I know it’s hard, but I need you to trust me.” _You deny it? You fucking dare to deny it?!_ Chloe beat her to the reply, offering her support. “Think we saw? Are you trying to gaslight us? There’s no thinking involved; we saw you locking lips with some other woman.” Getting carried away, Chloe couldn’t help it, as she added the piece of information that bothered her all evening. “Best part is, she and I use the same drug dealer!”

 

Rachel had zoned out the moment her father stood up and got into a shouting match with an equally pissed Chloe. _Shut up. Shut up and do not fucking dare to deny it. She was there and you were there…and…_ Staring down at the table, the rage shifted to something else. Something Rachel hadn’t been familiar with until the last night. While she always had issues with her self-control, she normally succeeded in reigning herself in – at least until she kicked the rubbish bin.

 

In that moment, she felt exactly the same, being controlled by the impulse to finally act, to fucking do something. A split-second before she jumped up, Chloe’s eyes shifted over, concerned, but it was far too late. Grabbing the still mostly full salad bowl, Rachel lifted it and threw it down in a swift movement; strong enough to shatter the glass table into a million pieces. _Silence. Finally._

 

Not giving anyone a chance to start talking again, she focused on her father. “Why can’t you just tell me the fucking truth?!” Green eyes met hazel ones, challenging. “Stop lying. Stop being a politician for one fucking minute. Can’t you just…be my dad?” Slowly, the adrenaline faded a bit, the red haze clearing up. _He actually looks…sad._ “Rachel, that woman you saw…that wasn’t my mistress. That was your mother.”

 

_What?_ For a moment, it felt as if Rachel’s brain simply refused to work. Someone had flipped a switch, short-circuited all the neurons…so that she couldn’t do anything but stare. _Breath._ The first conscious thought, induced by the feeling of suffocation, of drowning. Forcing herself to inhale fresh air, she studied the two adults across from her. Two people she had loved and trusted; two people that had lied to her all her life. And for one single, eternal moment, that was all there was – Rachel helplessly trying to comprehend the four words; James and Rose Amber staring at her, unable to say anything.

 

She was staring in the distance, but a soft touch on her arm brought Rachel back into the room. “Come on, let’s sit down.” Not even waiting for a reply, Chloe led the younger girl over to the couch, sitting down next to her. Sitting made it easier – at least Rachel didn’t have to fight the gravity to keep standing any longer. _Why?_ There was nothing else she could come up with – and she couldn’t even say it out loud. Sitting there, on the couch, doing nothing but breathing steadily; Rachel felt cold as ice on this warm evening in late spring, almost shivering.

 

The anger that usually served to warm her had faded, turned into boundless sadness that was freezing her. _Why did you lie to me?_ An arm was wrapped around her shoulders for a fleeting moment, steadying her, giving her the feeling she was not alone in this mess. Turning her head to the left side, Rachel was greeted by already familiar blue eyes. _She’s still here._

 

* * *

 

Sitting on a couch that was probably more expensive than her whole room, Chloe Price couldn’t help but shake her head. Something came to her mind, something she had thought about earlier, after her expulsion. _How do you know which way is up when your whole life has been turned upside down? Well, ask Rachel about it now. Fuck._ There wasn’t really anything she could do, so she simply sat there, on this couch, waiting for something to happen.

 

In the back of the room, Rose was busy cleaning up the mess Rachel had made. _She was so damn angry…but this revelation crushed her. I can’t imagine how it would feel…to find out your parents lied to you the whole time._ The other girl wasn’t crying though, not even sobbing – all she did was staring ahead, unfocused. _I wish I could do fucking do something…but I don’t think I can._

 

Eventually, James sat down in front of them, sighing. It was pretty obvious that he would have liked to stall some more, but it was not gonna happen. His voice was grave and filled with sadness when he finally began talking. “I want to tell you all of it. But are you sure that Chloe should be here for—“ While it might have been a valid question, Rachel didn’t even allow her dad to finish it. Instead, Chloe felt her grabbing her hand, intertwining their fingers, holding close. “Chloe stays.” _Sure thing. If you want me here, I’ll be here._

 

A frown appeared on the DA’s face, but disappeared just as quickly. _Shit. He was there for the performance. But it’s none of his business. I mean, I think even we don’t know what we currently are or have. Not that’s it important right now._ “Of course.” James Amber would probably try anything to avoid upsetting his daughter any more than he already had. Turning around to his wife for a moment, he tried to buy himself a little more time, a few more breaths. “In every way that matters, Rose is my wife and your mother. But the woman you saw at the overlook…her name is Sera.”

 

Despite looking calm, Chloe felt Rachel tightening her grip. _We know…not that I am going to tell you._ “Your birth mother.” There was a sudden resolve in James Amber’s green eyes as he sighed and continued. “I’m going to tell you everything, Rachel. Everything I’ve shielded you from for so long. But the truth can be hard to look at. Is this really something you’re ready for?” _Damn, that sounds fucking serious. But judging from the fact she knows Frank…I don’t think this can be good._

 

For a second, Chloe look into Rachel’s hazel eyes, surprised by the emotion. In the past two days, she had seen an impressive amount of emotion in these eyes – hurt; betrayal; joy; anger; sadness…but right now, it was a pleading look. _As if Rachel thinks I’m going to jump up and get the hell out of here._ Chloe nodded, quickly, one sharp movement; and squeezed the other girl’s hand for a moment. _I’m not going anywhere._

 

What followed was an insane right through James’ teenage years – meeting Sera at school, falling in love with her. The moment of joy when he found out that he would be a father and have a family…and Sera, throwing it all away, trading the life with her husband and new-born daughter for the chase for the next shot of heroine. _Oh, fuck._ Everything about this was so messed up, so insane, that Chloe couldn’t do anything but sit there.

 

After James had finished his tale, Rachel looked up, thinking of something. “But maybe she’s different now. People change, right?” _She’s grasping for some straws there…I mean, shit. I want to believe that, anything to make her feel better, but with Frank involved. I just don’t fucking know._ “Maybe so. But consider that for fifteen years, she’s preferred that money to you.” _That’s really low, Mr. A. Fucking insensitive._ Yet Chloe didn’t protest, instead, she sat there and watched the way Rachel’s father shattered the tiny amount of hope the younger teenager might have had. “Rachel—“

 

_I don’t even know what I should say. Shit, I am not good with words and I know it._ Apparently, Rachel hadn’t heard her name, though, as she stood up from the couch. “I think I need to lie down…” Her steps were slow, and it seemed as if she had a huge weight on her shoulders, as she managed to drag herself up the stairs. Chloe watched Rachel leaving the room and stood there for a moment, torn between giving the other girl space for a while or following her immediately. _I think I should talk to Mr. A though...and maybe Mrs. A as well_. Sitting down on the living room table - _probably the first person ever to dare this_ \- she studied the DA. He looked sad and troubled. Desperate.

 

The Blackwell dropout knew the expression in the green eyes all too well. More often than not, it greeted her from the mirror, etched into her blue eyes. _Permanently. Or so I thought, until the moment Rachel grabbed my hand in the mill._ “Erm...hey.” _Fuck. Can I just go back to hating him proxy of Rachel?_ Looking up from his shoes, the DA studied the girl closely. “If you want to call me names and complain about me lying to Rachel, go ahead, Chloe.” _He sounds rather defeated. Hm. Surprising._ While she had sat down to do exactly that - seeing him in this state stopped her. “I’ve seen that look before”, she murmured instead, watching him intently. Lifting an eyebrow, James shook his head. “I can’t quite follow you.”

 

_Am I really going to lecture him? But...he might do something crazy...and I don’t want Rachel any more hurt than she already is._ Suppressing a sigh, the teenager lowered her voice. “That look in your eyes, Mr. A. You know...that look when someone is about to do some serious bullshit. I know from personal experience how it looks and you got it there, right now.” With that, she was crossing a line and Chloe knew it, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

 

Surprise crossed his features, whatever Rachel’s father had expected from his daughter’s friend, it hadn’t been that. “Personal experience? Yes, you would probably know.” He said it half to himself and half to the teenage girl his daughter was so smitten with. Unsure of what to do, Chloe shrugged. “Whatever...I just...fuck. I make rash decisions the whole time and not all of them necessarily good. Sometimes a little...distance helps. You know, like, time to fucking ponder it.”

 

_What the fuck am I saying here? But...I know how Rachel can be when she makes an angry decision. What more could her dad do?_ “I mean...oh, fuck. Just forget it, Mr. Amber.” A frown crossed his face at that. “No. I hate to admit it, but you are right. I always feared this would happen one day and now I have to live with that. Maybe I can’t always protect Rachel.” Annoyed, Chloe shook her head. “She doesn’t need someone lying to her to fucking protect her. Rachel needs her father. Make sure you stay that and not...do something to push her further away.”

 

Getting up before this conversation could get any weirder, Chloe walked over to the kitchen area. _I’ve no idea what this just was about. Fuck. Total headcase._ In fact, she knew what this had been about. Not only had she first-hand experience of doing stupid shit, but moreover she knew how it was to lose one’s father. _No matter what, I don’t want Rachel to go through that._ Trying to cheer up Mrs. Amber didn’t work out either and if she had to be honest with herself...she was just stalling time. Heading over to the stairway she and Rachel had planned to sneak up earlier, Chloe shook off her feeling of unease and walked up.

 

Entering Rachel’s room, she wasn’t really sure what to expect. _It does fit her, I guess. A whole lot of stars everywhere..._ Not quite sure if the younger girl would want her here, Chloe moved over to her. “Hey Rachel.” _Damn. Can’t I come up with something more...elaborate?_ Waiting for an answer, Chloe watched her, the way she was laying on the bed - curled up; facing a wall; crying. _I can’t imagine what Rachel is feeling right now. I want her to tell me...when she’s ready._ “I’m glad you’re here, Chloe.” The whisper was so low she had barely understood it. “Of course.” _Unless you tell me to go, I won’t ever fucking leave you._

 

Her eyes swept through the room and she noticed a duffle bag, similar to the one Rachel had brought to the junkyard for her. _We were so close to making our break last night. Now...I don’t know._ Inspired by a globe featuring the night sky, Chloe combined a flashlight and a night light to illuminate some brighter fake stars. Turning it on and sitting down on the bed next to the other teenager, Chloe whispered softly. “Hey. Check it out.”

 

* * *

 

 

Sitting up next to Chloe, Rachel took in the view. “It’s...beautiful.” All her life, she had considered stars to be soothing; thinking of all that they had seen...and the eventual unimportance of the short human life. “I thought you might like it.” The voice beside her was very soft and warm, relaxing. _I…well..._ “I’ve always loved stars”, Rachel murmured, unable to talk about the issue at hand. Her stage partner understood her, though, easily. “Why?” _She sounds...curious._ “They remind us there’s so much beauty out there, which we almost never see.”

 

There was a tiny moment of silence, but not long - the older girl knew what to say. “Because we’re blinded by what’s in front of us.” After a short sigh, the blonde agreed. “Exactly.” _But what is beauty anyway? When it is all just a beautiful lie…_ Looking down, she remembered the discussion at elementary school. _I hold with those who favour fire...until the darkness swallows all of it…_

 

“But then I learned the truth. The stars we’re seeing have already been dead for millions of years. They’re all...lies.” _There is nothing out there...and certainly not knowledge or truth…_ A shrug. “But that doesn’t make them any less beautiful, right?” _I don’t know. Maybe? Should a lie ever be more beautiful than the truth? But then, I still wanted the stars on the ceiling when we moved here._ “I don’t know. If they’re not even real, then what’s the point?” Looking away - _has Chloe written something on my map?_ \- Rachel contemplated all the lies this evening had uncovered.

 

And it hurt. Knowing that people you loved and you trusted manipulated you like this? An awful feeling indeed; she couldn’t come up with anything that would feel worse. “It’s all lies. Everything. My entire life.” Turning around and laying back down, she continued, sobbing. _I hate how much I fucking cry._ “My dad. My mom. If I can even call her that anymore.” Behind her, after a moment of hesitation, Chloe laid down as well. “And that other woman. My real mom. She’s the biggest lie of all. I can’t trust any of them.”

 

An arm sneaked around Rachel and pulled her back a little bit, so that she was pressed against Chloe’s torso. _It feels good to have her here...safe._ Recalling the night before, and the way the older girl had held her when she told the truth about the man under the tree...safe indeed. _As if Chloe actually protects me._ “I think you’re the only one in the world I can trust.” A statement that was sad mixture of cheesiness, loneliness and boundless hurt - yet true nonetheless.

 

With the way Chloe held her, Rachel felt the other girl’s breath tickling her neck. “I’ll take it, even if it’s only by process of elimination.” _Such a Chloe thing to say…_ Despite everything, a little chuckle escaped her lips. “Good.” Turning around a bit, so she was laying on her back, Rachel lifted her arm. _I should have known...or asked about it…_ “I wore this bracelet my entire life. I never even asked why, never even thought about it. Somehow, I think I always knew. Even when I didn’t know. That my real mother was gone.”

 

_Is that the truth, though? Does sharing DNA with her make her any more real than Rose? Fuck…this is so damn difficult._ “Do you think…it would be wrong to try to meet her?” _Shall I meet her? After all the pain…but I just want to see it for myself._ Next to Rachel, Chloe shook her head. “No. How could that be wrong? If you feel…like…it’s the right thing to do, it probably is the right thing to do.” _Deep._

 

“It will probably take a while to even locate her.” She hated to hear her voice like that – weak, defeated. “I might have an idea, but…I want to think about it for a little while. In the meantime, we can just work on the truck. You know, have the means even if we don’t have the person.” _I think nobody at Blackwell would ever believe me if I told them about Chloe Price’s contemplating side…it’s a shame, really._ “Sounds like a good idea. And one day, we’re going to drive that rusty truck all the way to LA.”

 

This time, the sound of her own voice didn’t anger her, but merely caught her off-guard. When Rachel had said that, her voice sounded so firm, so sure…the way someone would say that a Friday is always followed by a Saturday – or that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. “Yeah. I think we will.” Wonder and surprise, all mixed together in the voice of Rachel’s favourite punk girl…but also the weird sense of actual knowing. _Fuck, yes, we will._

 

Snuggling closer to the older girl, both of them looked at the points of light above that fancied themselves stars – wondering about the things that had happened that evening and the future – their future.

 

* * *

Up next: Chloe devises a fool-proof plan to safely get some information about Sera. What could possibly go wrong? Well...ask Eliot.


	4. Spygame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dealing with the revelation about Sera, Chloe tries to come up with some sort of plan. What could possibly go wrong? Well, ask Eliot Hampden...

**Spygame**

 

The first thing Chloe Price noticed when she woke up was the fact that the mattress under her was a bit softer than usual. The second thing she noticed was a faint, flowery smell nearby - jasmine, maybe? The third thing was a slow, even breath beside her. And the fourth thing was someone wrapped around her, someone she held close in return. Opening her eyes, the Blackwell dropout was greeted with the sight of a sleeping Rachel Amber in her arms. _Damn. Yesterday did really happen? Holy shit…and I thought Friday was insane..._ If she had thought that skipping school with Rachel was the most confusing and intense day of her life, well, that had been quickly put to shame by the day that followed. Getting kicked out of Blackwell - _no fucking way Victoria fucking Chase would get to play Rachel’s role_ \- fixing the truck; running that errand for Frank - _don’t mess with Damon Merrick, for sure_ \- and, of course, Rachel. Lots of Rachel.

 

That the younger girl had actually been willing to take all the blame and get herself kicked out of the theatre play she had been working on for months made Chloe smile. Thinking hard, she tried to remember the last time anyone had been willing to do something of that magnitude for her. The conclusion was rather sad - so far, nobody did anything like that. Meeting Rachel on the junkyard and then again before the play had actually cheered Chloe up. A lot. _And after that shit with Mikey getting hurt, I really needed that._ Looking at the still-sleeping girl, Chloe frowned for a second. _But I’ll somehow make Rachel pay for getting me into this play. All the fucking lines in 10 minutes was not fun._

Another deep breath, and Chloe thought of their walk through the empty neighbourhood. Moving to LA sounded far too good to be true. _Somewhere warm...and sunny...and with Rachel. Fuck. I want that, like, immediately. And I want her - so much. What is it? We met not even three days ago and I would be willing to leave everything behind for Rachel._ Whatever was happening between them, the other teenager felt it as well. Chloe had seen it in these hazel eyes and felt it when they kissed for the first time.

 

_Of course, Rachel simply has to be a natural at kissing, just like at everything else she does._ But seeing that hickey right over to other girl’s collarbone made Chloe smile smugly. _Not that she complained about my skills either. Quite the opposide, actually._ Sometime after Rachel had stopped crying last night, the taller girl had taken a chance, held her a little closer and waited for her to make the move. She hadn’t even waited long and what started as a spur-of-the-movement thing to make Rachel smile a bit ended up in a heated make-out session. Recalling the reason why Rachel had been crying brought back other, far less pleasant memories, though. The dinner with Rachel’s family; how she got angry enough to smash that table...and the truth about her mother. _Okay. I said I’d find out more about her. But I don’t think asking Frank outright might work...he didn’t even want to tell me her name. Plus, he works with Damon and after what happened to Mikey…_ Chloe decided to think about that on her way home and tried to get up - failing miserable. As soon as she moved slightly, Rachel tightened her grip and snuggled up closer.

 

_Seems that I’m stuck. Well, I have been stuck in worse positions, I guess._ Thirteen minutes later, Rachel woke up, though, and quickly pulled her arms back. “Morning. I hope it hasn’t been too uncomfortable.” Pressing a quick kiss on Rachel’s temple, Chloe sat up and shook her head. “Nah. No way. I just need to go home for a little while. Grabbing some tools to fix that truck, actually - and maybe letting my mom know I’m still alive.” Rachel nodded. “I’ll see you later.” From the way she had pronounced it, it might have been a question as well. “You bet.” Exchanging a very quick kiss, Chloe got up from the bed and frowned, as she looked for her black blouse.  _Well, technically it belongs to Rachel, but who cares?_ Moving a few steps, she bent down to pick it up and handed Rachel her red flannel that was on the floor next to it. Putting it on, Chloe nodded and made her way downstairs. It was time to go home. For a while.

 

Showering was always a good way to sort one’s thoughts, and Chloe just liked the moment of calm. _I feel like I might be able to look through Frank’s notebook, if I manage to get him distracted. Hmm. Maybe I can get Justin to call him, so Frank drives to school and I’ll simply stay and look through his stuff. Yeah, that might work._ Turning the hot water off, Chloe smirked at the blue hair dye she had found. It had probably lived here for years, forgotten, but no more. Deciding to start small - just in case blue wasn’t her colour - she dyed a few strands of her hair and smiled, happy at the look of it. _Total badass. I feel like Rachel will like it as well._

 

Grabbing a pair of old boots and the box with her dad’s clothes, the Blackwell dropout made her way back to her room. Thankfully, she had begun to match her dad in height, so she filled out the clothes nicely. Reminded of Rachel’s outfit, she grabbed the red flannel, a white shirt with a cool print and a pair of jeans. A bullet necklace - _Dad had the best style for sure_ \- the boots and the blue beanie completed her look. It was time to set the plan in motion…as she felt her phone vibrate and stop her for the time being. Rachel had messaged her. _Thank you for being there for me last night. I’m feeling a lot better. _ Smiling a little smugly at that, Chloe wondered whether she should make a joke about being Oregon’s best kisser, but decided against it. G _uess what_ she quickly typed to Rachel instead and got an instant reply. _Fuck. I should have gone for it. Hmm_ _I’m a good kisser? Well, score. Wonder what I have to do to get Rachel to kiss me again. _ Instead of replying with a text, she called Rachel instead, who answered after two rings.

 

“Miss me already, Price?” _We’ve left the bed and now we’re back at playing the game? Okay, Amber._ “Hmm. Says the girl who replied after just two rings of her phone and used me as a teddy-bear last night.” Once more, Chloe couldn’t help but smile smugly; she could almost feel Rachel blush. _That’s me paying you back for not putting on that shirt in the dressing room. I bet it's hard to actually make her blush. Kind of an accomplishment on my part._ “So, I have an idea. You tutored Justin this year, didn’t you?”

 

“Erm…yeah, I did. What does that have to do with anything?” “Damn, Amber, you’re hella impatient, when you want something, don’t you?” _No, I’m not thinking about this right now. Oh, fuck. No, not that word either right now._ “You’ll find out, Price.” “Erm…so…you call Justin and tell him…erm…to call Frank and buy some weed. Say you want to thank him for stealing the weed from me since that kept step-douche for tearing in me or something like this. We try to time it perfectly, so Frank drives me to Blackwell, I use the time of the ride to look through his stuff and we meet up at Blackwell.” A low chuckle at the other side of the line made Chloe's heart skip a beat. _I doubt that this is healthy…_ “Damn, Price, you sure you’re not a spy?”

 

Normally, hearing someone refer to her by using her surname made her cringe. It usually meant trouble and consequences and disappointed looks. But when Rachel used her last name, it sounded revered, as if the other girl tasted the name on her tongue before pronouncing it. An unsuspected thing that always made her heart beat faster, just like the look in her hazel eyes or the smoothness of her lips. _Get a grip._ “Maybe. I mean, I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you.” There was silence for a moment before Rachel burst out laughing. “Oh god, you are so Price-less, Chloe. I am super into y…it.” _Was that almost-slip intentional?_ “Whatever. Are you game, Rach?” “Sure. I’ll make something up, but since Justin spends most of his time stoned anyway, getting him to meet Frank at Blackwell shouldn’t be that difficult. Also, you’re amazing, Chloe Price.” _I hope I can get that grin off my face before it ruins my reputation._ “Well, yeah. Hella amazing. But so are you. That’s why we make such a good team.”

 

Moving down the stairs, Chloe got caught sneaking around by her mother and step-douche. Thankfully she managed to avoid too many questions and too much conversation, but somehow her mother got Dick-tator David to apologize to her. _So she can be a good influence when she wants to be._ While some part of Chloe would never accept him as the man at her mother’s side, seeing the picture of him and his former best friend made her gulp. _That’s even worse than losing Max…at least I know she has an awesome life in Seattle, whereas David will never see Phil again in this life. Dammit. Now I start to feel fucking sorry for him, just like they probably intended I would._ The long walk to the junkyard was just what she needed, though – Chloe was depositing her father’s toolbox at the shack there before walking back to the Two Whales Diner, where she would meet Frank to collect her cash. She didn't mind walking, it meant she could simply listen to some music and not worry about someone bothering her with conversation.

 

When she arrived at the Two Whales, Frank’s RV was already parked, so she sent a quick message to Rachel before knocking at the door. Unlike the day before, Frank was in a way better mood when he opened the door for her. “Price! Come in!” Pompidou, the little pup, was apparently excited to see her again, so she reached down to pet the dog. Motioning for her to sit down, the teenager leaned back in the seat in front, waiting. _Hopefully Justin doesn’t mess it up...and I am interested to see how Rachel managed to convince him._ “So, Price, good work yesterday. I talked to Damon and he was pleased with you. When he’s pleased, I am pleased, so I keep my end of the bargain. You are out of the red and here’s the cash.” _Sweet money! Although I wish that Mikey hadn’t gotten injured. Maybe I'll visit him later today._ “Thanks, man.” Keeping it as cool as possible, Chloe grabbed the money and made a show of counting it. _Not that I feel that Frank would scam me, but it buys me some more time._ Apparently, the first step of the plan had worked, as his phone rang.

 

“Ey, Williams. What can I do for you? Pot? You’re at Blackwell? Yeah, I’m coming over.” Closing his phone, the famous Arcadia Bay drug dealer looked back at Chloe, wondering why she was still sitting there. “Mind if you take me along for the ride?” _Yeah. Just as cool as it needs to be._ “Whatever. But if you want a ride, fucking work for it. Grab my notebook again, would you?” _Score._ “Sure thing.” While Frank pulled out of the parking lot, she moved slowly to Frank’s bedroom and grabbed the notebook. Flipping through the pages - _yes, no more debt!_ \- she found a page with a different handwriting on it. _Perhaps Damon added something to this book?_

 

There was a list of mail-addresses and one of them might be just what she had searched for. So Chloe pulled out her phone and made a quick picture of the page. Bending down to pet Pompidou on her way back, she cooed load enough to give Frank an explanation of her lengthy absense before she sat down next to him again. “Do you also fancy buying some weed?” he asked and although it was really hard, Chloe shook her head, sighing. _I need that money to get me and Rachel out of here. And I also don’t want to run an errant like yesterday...ever. The next time I'll buy put, I will have the cash._ “Nah. I need that money to fix myself a ride.” _Not a lie, actually._ Frank nodded, contemplating it for a moment.

 

“Smart move, Price. If that cloud ever arrives, you want to get out of here fast.” _Also, I guess weed might be cheaper in California._ The rest of the ride was spent in companionable silence. “Alright. See you around, Price.” Running her hand over her beanie, she gave him a smile. “Thanks for the ride, Frank.” _And for the information that might be very valuable._ Leaving the RV to make her way over to the picnick tables, Justin passed her. Sharing a quick fist bump, she passed her fellow skateboarder. “Chloe!” _Fuck._ She knew exactly who was calling her name: Eliot Hampden.

 

* * *

 

While they had known each other for ages, the had formed a loose companionship for a little over two years. He had begun to creep Chloe out lately, especially after finding out that she had been expelled from school. _I so should have never screwed him. I knew he would interpret to much into it. Well, fuck._ “Hey, Eliot.” Trying to be friendly, but not friendly enough to induce a further conversation was her plan. Unfortunately, it failed. “Can we talk for a moment?” Justin was still in Frank’s RV and other than that, the small path near the parking lot was abandoned. “Erm...sorry, but I’m kinda busy right now.”

 

Walking past him, she didn’t expect anything to happen, but he put a hand on her shoulder, stopping Chloe. “Dude, what the hell?” Normally, Eliot came off as calm and composed, but now he was angry. “You never have time for me. Now, you will listen to me!” _Okay. Shit. What to do? How can I get out of here?_ “You’re acting crazy.” He shook his head. “What have you gotten yourself into, Chloe? I just saw you leaving the RV of that drugdealer.” Shaking her head, she looked at him. “You wouldn’t understand.” Lifting his hands, way too close to her face, he gave her an angry glare.

 

Luckily, he turned away for a moment and began to walk up and down in front of her. Grabbing her mobile phone, Chloe hoped he would not notice that she quickly typed a message to Skip Matthews. _At the parking lot. Eliot hampden harassing me. Be quick._ “Give me a chance to understand! What the hell are you doing?” Shaking her head, she replied. “Honestly, Eliot, you can judge me all you want. But this is none of your business and I don’t have time to explain it.” _Who the fuck does he think he is? Why does he pull off shit like this all of a sudden? That's so unlike the Eliot I used to know.  
_

 

That was the wrong thing to say, Chlor noted it immediately. “When do you have time? For me? You have all the time in the world for -- for Rachel.” _Leave Rachel the fuck out of this._ “I’m so sick of you not seeing who Rachel really is. When will you realize what she’s doing to you?” _You’re seriously crossing a line here._ “She is doing nothing. At. All. And you should take a fucking step back.” _Hopefully Skip is anywhere nearby._ “What has your relationship with her gotten you? I mean, the first night you hang out, you get in a fight.” _We did not plan to meet that night._ “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Rachel saved my ass.”

 

Studying her with a far too intense gaze, Eliot replied. “I’m sure that’s how it seemed to you.“  _Well, these skeevy douchbags didn't leave much room for any form of interpretation._ Taking a deep breath to not slap him, Chloe met his gaze, angrily. “Stop -- Stop suggesting that she’s somehow bad for --” _This is the first time in two fucking years that I am happy, Eliot. If you care about me, you should be happy for me, too._ Not giving Chloe time to finish her sentence, Eliot interrupted her. “The next day, she convinces you to skip school. Magically, she barely gets in trouble...and you get expelled.” _You weren’t there. Rachel was willing to take the whole blame!_

 

Crossing her arms, Chloe tried to stop herself from hitting Eliot. “Rachel was there for me. She did everything she could to protect me.” Sarcasm was heavy in voice when he answered. “I guess it wasn’t enough, huh? And how about last night. Was she protecting you when she made you take part in a play you didn’t want to be in?” _Ey, if I had known about these swords, I would have totally tried to get a role. Maybe. To annoy Wells._ “Seriously, man. You need to shut the fuck up before --” “I’ve been quiet long enough! Look, Rachel is an amazing actress. And I don’t mean on stage. She’s fake. You’re real. I hate to see her manipulating you like this.” _Nobody is manipulating me. Although you apparently try to do so. Damn, I totally should have never fucked you._ “Eliot, I promise, no one is manipulating me.” “No? Just look where you are now. A high school dropout, hanging out with criminals. It’s crazy!” _Keep calm. Skip will be here to help me soon enough. It's all under control._ “Dude, you know you sound a little stalkerish right now?” Angrily, Eliot looked back at Chloe. “Stalking is defined as repeated unwanted interactions. How long have my actions been unwanted?” _Since you kept asking me out and I repeatedly told you no. Starting...eight fucking months ago?_ “Eliot…”

 

“I’m the one who cares about you, Chloe. Me. Not Rachel. It’s time you saw the truth. You’re going to stop thinking about Rachel and pay attention to me now.” Footsteps were approaching. _Skip! Finally!_ It wasn’t Skip Matthews, though. “Speak of the devil. Rachel Amber.” Normally, Chloe would have smiled at the other girl, but right now she was afraid of the possible escalation.  _This situation is freaking fragile enough..._ “Hampden. Chloe.” She pronounced his name neutral enough, but he narrowed his eyes. “I was talking to Chloe, so if you excuse us.” _Erm…_ “Nope. I was just about to leave.”

 

Looking at Rachel, he opened his mouth, angry. “Of course, you just show up and Chloe immediatly follows you around like a puppy. What did you do to get her to do that? Fuck her? Like you fuck most of the town?” Chloe opened her mouth to shout at him, but Rachel beat her to it. “If I were you, I would be very careful when saying that.” _With that tone, you should back off, Eliot. At once._ “Or what? You’re going to call your DA daddy?” Other footsteps were approaching now, fast, but not fast enough.

 

Rachel leaned closer, staring him dead in the eyes. “Back off, Hampden. Now.” But after that, he broke the one rule nobody should ever dare to break with Rachel Amber: To touch her without permission, especially when she was angry. He pushed her shoulders, lightly, trying to get some distance between them. _Fuck_. Before Chloe could even blink, Rachel had already slapped Eliot with all the strength she could muster. Apparently, it hurt his pride more than his face. What followed was a low hiss - “You fucking bitch” - and a punch aimed at Rachel’s shoulder.

 

Just as Chloe was about to break Eliot’s fucking jaw for this, his hands were dragged behind his back. “What the hell, man? Harassing other people and hitting them? I’ll make sure you get expelled for that.” _Just two minutes too late, Skip...damn it._ Seeing that Eliot was finally being dealt with, Chloe knelt down next to Rachel, who had tripped and fell in a fit of bad luck. “Are you okay?” Seeing her cry broke Chloe’s heart. _You’re so lucky that I can’t punch you in the face with Skip here…”_ Shaking her head, Rachel allowed Chloe to help her up. “I think...I think I broke my hand again. It hurts so fucking much.”

 

Skip looked from the two girls to Eliot and back. “Chloe, you can drive, right?” Seeing a nod, he reached in his pocket to drag the keys to his car out. “You drive her to the hospital, I wait here for the cops. Just put the keys under the passenger floor mat then, nobody is going to steal that car.” _Too many PissHead stickers on it?_ Chloe nodded, shot one more death-glare in Eliot’s direction and then helped Rachel into the car. She was still crying and held her left wrist with her right. “I’m sorry. So sorry. I’ll get you to the hospital at once.” The Blackwell dropout was driving faster than the limit allowed, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. _I think Mr. Amber will drop any charges immediately._ “Chloe…” It sounded agonized. “I’m here, don’t worry, Rach.”

 

Chloe half-dragged the smaller, still sobbing teenager into the ER. “What happened?” a nurse wanted to know as soon as she spotted the teenagers. “She got punched, fell...maybe broke her wrist.” _Hopefully it’s not broken...I hate to think that Rachel got hurt because of me. Bad enough that Mikey's here..._ “Take a seat in examination room 3. A doctor will see you as soon as possible. Will you inform the parents or shall I call them?” The nurse was speaking to Chloe and pointed her in the direction of the room. "I'll call her father." Carefully, Chloe led Rachel over to the examination couch before sitting down next to her and wrapping an arm around her. Still crying, Rachel leaned her head on the other girl’s shoulder.

 

“I am so sorry, Rachel. So fucking sorry.” There was a fervent headshaking near her shoulder. “Not your fault. You drove me here…and stayed.” _Leaving her alone?_ What an absurd thought. “Can I...can I get your phone? We have to call your dad.” It was a very sour point at the moment, but they had no choice. _If we don’t call him, the hospital will do so anyway._ “My mobile phone is in my left pocket.” Since Rachel’s left hand was currently unusable and her right hand sqeezed Chloe’s arm, the older girl reached over to grab it herself.

 

_She’s wearing the same jacket she wore to the concert…I didn’t even notice that before._ While Chloe was searching the adress list on Rachel’s phone, a nurse walked in, measured Rachel’s pulse and blood pressure before handing her a glass of water and some painkillers. “Doctor Henderson will be here in a few minutes to examinate your wrist. The painkillers will hopefully kick in in a few minutes. If it isn’t enough, just push this button.” Meanwhile, Chloe had found the number she was waiting for. A few rings and Mr. Amber picked up. “Rachel?” _Fuck. What should I say…?_ “Erm. Hi Mr. Amber.” She could almost feel his confused frown. “Chloe? Did something happen?” “Erm...yeah. I am in the Arcadia Bay General Hospital with Rachel. There was an accident involving a fellow student. He might be on the police station already. You should come here quickly.” While Rachel’s father didn’t reply, she heard him get up, move and close the door. “I’m on my way.”

 

Soon after that, the door opened again and an elderly woman walked in. _Hopefully this is finally the doctor. Although I feel that the painkillers might have kicked in. Rachel’s grip on my arm is a bit lighter._ “Good morning. My name is Doctor Henderson and I’m here to take care of you. Can I take a look at your wrist?” Chloe zoned out for the examination, until the door opened – James Amber had arrived.

 

_Oh shit._ While she hadn’t even given it a second thought so far, Chloe was suddenly hyper-aware of the position she and Rachel were in. Sitting next to her – far closer than what was probably socially acceptable – left arm wrapped around her shoulders; holding Rachel’s unhurt hand with her right…and Rachel leaning into her side. _Shit. I am super-fucked. Forget Rachel, he’s going to kill me. Good thing there is a damn OR right here._ Surprisingly enough, the infamous ex-Blackwell student was in luck – the DA frowned for a second before he decided to avoid mentioning it. His relationship to his only daughter was strained at the moment, after all, and Chloe had been the one to take her to hospital.

 

“Ah, Mr. Amber. It’s good you’re here. I am Doctor Henderson and I finished examining your daughter’s wrist. So far, I am pretty sure it’s badly strained, not broken, but I want to get an X-Ray to make sure. Ms. Amber? Would you come with me, please? No worries, it won’t hurt and will be done quickly.” Letting go of Chloe, the smaller girl stood up and nodded. “Yeah, sure.” _At least she sounds almost normal again. I don’t want to see her in pain like this again for sure._ “Chloe and I will be waiting here for you.” _He’s not kicking me out to wait in the hallway? Huh._

 

With a neutral face, James sat down on a chair and studied the teenager. “So, Chloe, can you tell me what happened?” _Oh, fuck, he sounds so calm and…nice._ “It...it was my fault, I guess. Sort of.” Biting her lip, she looked at her Converse for a moment and sighed. _I should have known after he wouldn't leave me alone. I should have known weeks, if not months ago._ “Forgive me, Chloe, but I doubt that you two got in a fight that ended with you breaking Rachel’s wrist.” Running a hand over her beanie, she desperately looked for a way to start. “As you know, my dad died…two years ago and not long after, my best friend moved to Seattle. I was…lonely and didn’t feel so good.” _If the situation wouldn’t be so fucked up, I would probably laugh at the fact that I’m talking about my love life with the father of my…erm…fuck…well, whatever Rachel is now. Not that we had discussed it yet.  
_

 

“I hooked up a few times with some guy from Blackwell I've known for ages, Eliot Hampden. It wasn’t anything serious, just me trying to avoid thinking of what happened. That went for…maybe two or three months? But I never liked him that way, so I told him that. But he kept asking me out and messaging me. I always tried to blow him off, but yeah.” _Worst thing is that I will probably have to talk about him to Rachel as well._ “He asked me out to go to _The Tempest_ , but I declined. So, this morning Rachel and I wanted to meet near Blackwell to spend the day together.” Leaning back, James Amber waited carefully for the girl to continue. “I was walking over from the parking lot when he stopped me. He refused to let me pass or leave, so I sent a text to Skip Matthews from the security, asking him to come and help me.”

 

_Damn it…if he only had been there like a few minutes earlier, we wouldn’t be here in this fucking hospital._ “We were arguing…and I think Rachel heard that, because she came over and tried to help me. I...I just didn’t think he would hate her so much, though.” “Hate Rachel?” James echoed, studying the teenager. “Yeah. I mean, when it was just him and me, he was…badmouthing her, but when she arrived, things got out of hand.” _At least now I know for sure to keep my hands far away from her when she’s truly pissed off._ Sighing deeply, Chloe studied the laces of her Converse yet again. “Eliot started insulting her, and Rachel got angry. She told him to stop, but then he made fun of you and that pissed her off even more.” _I think part of her wanted to hit him back then already._ “Rachel told him to back off, but he pushed her slightly. And then…she just snapped. In one quick movement, she slapped him straight across his face and that’s when he punched her...and she stumbled, tripped, and hurt her hand.”

 

Recalling the events made them sound even more awful and herself more pathetic.  _I could have prevented this..._ She should have stepped in immediately to remind Eliot that he was angry at her, not at Rachel. Unexpectedly, Chloe felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to meet the DA’s gaze. “Listen to me. None of this is your fault. I appreciate you telling me the truth, so I will be truthful to you. Rachel is like her mother. Quick-tempered. Rash. I’ve always been afraid of losing her the way I lost Sera. I am truly glad that nothing worse has happened. And…I am glad that you were there to help her.”

 

_Did he even hear what I said?_ “I will pull a few things with Ray, maybe get you into Blackwell. Between your statement, Rachel’s injury and Mr. Matthews’ testimony, Mr. Hampden is going to be expelled. I am sure that the fact you shared most of your classes with him contributed to your…lengthy absences from school.” _Is he high?_ Looking at his eyes, she tried to find the hidden joke and failed. Apparently, he knew he was talking total bullshit, but was willing to go with it. “Why? Why would you do something like this?” _There is something more. Something he won't tell me._ They were in a hospital, waiting for Rachel to return – which could happen any minute now – and they were talking about something like this?

 

Running a hand through his hair, he tried to find the right words. “You covered for Rachel on Saturday. I suspected it the moment you begun talking and knew it the moment she mentioned that you saw us at the Overlook. I should apologize to you for making the wrong assumptions and the things I said about you at the dinner. I will do this because I don’t want to lose Rachel. No matter what, when you’re at Blackwell, you can at least keep her out of trouble.” _He’s definitely high…like…as high as the Empire State._ “Erm…and how should I do that? Rachel is the honour student. And I am a magnet for trouble.” _Which is true. And totally badass as well._

 

Mr. Amber sighed and Chloe felt herself reminded of the conversation she had with Evan. _What did he say about me? Being purposefully obstructive? Yeah. I guess Rachel’s dad would totally agree with him._ “While that might be true, I doubt that you would deliberately try to hurt her…unlike other people. Rachel probably thinks that I am blind, but I did see how unhappy she is ever since we moved to Arcadia Bay. And you were there for her last night, when she nee” Their discussion was interrupted as the door opened and Rachel entered the room again with her doctor. “Your daughter was lucky. I checked her hand and the bones are all in perfect condition. She merely strained her wrist, so all she needs is a bandage for about two weeks; painkillers and to keep the hand still.” Rachel looked a lot better than before, thanks to the painkillers, and as soon as she sat down, Chloe decided to grab her hand again. _Rachel is definitely not pulling her hand away. I feel like we have to talk about…us._

 

* * *

 

 

A movement next to her woke Rachel up. _Hm?_ Opening her eyes and meeting the ocean blue orbs of Chloe Price was hella surprising. Even more surprising was the position they were in at that moment. Wrapped around each other, limbs tangled, both of them missing their blouses. _Thank fuck my parents know to leave me alone when I am upset._ “Morning. I hope it hadn’t been too uncomfortable,” Rachel murmured before pulling her arms away to give the other girl some more space. She saw Chloe smiling at her for a moment before she pressed a quick kiss on Rachel’s temple. _Probably not. Good._ Chloe sat up and shook her head. “Nah. No way. I just need to go home for a little while. Grabbing some tools to fix that truck, actually - and maybe letting my mom know I’m still alive.”

 

Rachel nodded. “I’ll see you later.” _I mean, I just assume that. But maybe?_ From the way she had pronounced it, it might have been a question as well. “You bet.” _Hella awesome. Perhaps we can get some more kissing in._ Exchanging a very quick kiss, Chloe got up from the bed and frowned. Suspecting what her...whatever they were - was looking for, Rachel tilted her head. _I am not entirely sure how part of our clothes ended up there on the floor._ Yet Chloe simply handed Rachel her red flannel before she dressed. A quick nod later, Rachel was alone in her room, when the wannabe pirate closed the door behind her.

 

Leaning back on her bed with her red flannel in her hands, Rachel tried to sort her thoughts. One and a half days ago, she had been living an average life, filled with possibilities and - as of two days ago - a probable love interest in Chloe Price. She had been sure that she would simply survive Blackhell - _I blame Chloe for getting this word into my vocabulary_ \- and then get the fuck out of this horrible town, preferably back to LA. Her biggest problems had been the choice on whether she would stay one year longer for the extended senior program or not and to survive the daily banter with Victoria Chase.

 

_And here I am now, with a lying father, a stepmother that covered him and a junkie mother. Fuck._ Her own words echoed in her mind… “Chloe, I’m glad you’re here.” It had been true, indeed. The other girl’s presence had calmed Rachel down, and her words had been soothing as well. Closing her eyes, she recalled the way Chloe had held her, one arm possessively wrapped around the younger girl, until Rachel had moved, snuggled closer to her. At one point, Chloe had moved as well, so that they were facing each other. Her intention had been clear - if you want to kiss me, go ahead, but I won’t force myself on you in that moment of despair. _What an entirely absurd thought, indeed._ Needless to say, between that very weird mixture of crying, hugging, whispered words and making out - neither of them got much sleep last night, so it wasn't too surprising that Rachel dozed off again.

 

Opening her eyes about an hour later again, Rachel felt a bit more rested. Grabbing her mobile phone, she clicked on Chloe’s messages and typed a new one. _Thank you for being there for me last night. I’m feeling a lot better. I really do. Maybe the two of us can sort through all this bullshit together_.  G _uess what_ Frowning, Rachel shrugged. She was still way to tired for this _. Hmm_ _I’m a good kisser? Yeah, well, I don’t know about that, but I don’t remember any complaints. _ Surprisingly enough, Chloe didn’t reply with a message, but instead called her. Picking up right away, she couldn’t help but start off with some more flirting. “Miss me already, Price?” _I feel like we’ll never stop teasing. Not that I mind..._ “Hmm. Says the girl who replied almost immediately and used me as a teddy-bear all night long.” _Fuck._ Rachel cleared her throat, but once more, Chloe had succeeded in actually making her speechless for a moment. _Well, damn, that’s probably the revenge for making her bring me my belt...not entirely unjustified, I'll give her that._ “So, I have an idea. You tutored Justin this year, didn’t you?”

 

_Justin Williams? He's a nice guy, but I don’t think I want to get him involved into any of my private affairs._ “Erm…yeah, I did. What does that have to do with anything?” _Elaborate, pretty please?_ “Damn, Amber, you’re hella impatient when you want something, don’t you?” _Wow. So you noticed that just now?_ “You’ll find out soon enough, Price.” _Ha._ The moment of silence marked that she was back in the game after her slight stumble before. “Erm…so…you call Justin and tell him…erm…to call Frank and buy some weed. Say you want to thank him for stealing the weed from me since that kept step-douche for tearing in me or something like this. You're an actress, you will find a way. Whatever. We try to time it perfectly, so Frank drives me to Blackwell, I use the time of the ride to look through his stuff and we meet up at Blackwell.” _Apparently prying some viewfinder open was just the least of Chloe Price’s spy skills._ Despite everything, Rachel chuckled. _She makes it fucking hard not to make me smile, even in such a messed up situation._

 

“Damn, Price, you sure you’re not a spy?” _That would be hella cool._ “Maybe. I mean, I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you.” _She didn’t...god...she’s really killing me._ There was silence for a moment before Rachel burst out laughing and it took her a deep breath to settle herself again. “Oh god, you are so Price-less, Chloe. I am super into y…it.” _Super into you? Hm, well, that, too._ Thankfully the older girl ignored that almost confession or at least didn’t act on it. “Whatever. Are you game, Rach?” _Putting my acting skills to work? Always._ “Sure. I’ll make something up, but since Justin spends most of his time stoned, getting him to meet Frank at Blackwell shouldn’t be that difficult. Also, you’re hella amazing, Chloe Price.” When the infamous Blackwell dropout answered, the smile on her face was audible in her voice. “Well, yeah. Hella amazing, just that. But so are you. That’s why we make such a good team. Catch you later.”

 

_Not even waiting for a reply, eh, Price? Okay. How the fuck can I get Justin to do that?_ Finally getting up, Rachel decided to think it over while showering. While that didn’t really help her, some idea formed in the back of her mind when she returned to her room afterwards and stared at her closet. Deciding to wear the blouse she wore to the Firewalk concert, something clicked. _Chloe walked all the way there, didn’t she? Hmm._ Hoping that Justin was awake already, Rachel sat down at her desk, calling him. _Please, pick up._ Luckily, he picked up after the fifth ring. “Yo, Rachel. What’s up?” _Wow. I didn’t take him for the kind of person to answer calls on a Sunday morning._ “Hey Justin. I need your help. Or rather, Chloe and me need it.” With her rather vivid imagination, the blonde teenager could almost see the confusion on the skater’s face. “Really? Well, yeah, fuck, I owe you for helping me and Chloe for...ah...well, the weed I stole from her.”

 

Supressing a sigh and a headshake, Rachel continued. “Awesome. So, she has to run an errand somewhere out of town. Apparently it’s a longer way than she suspected and she plans to call her dealer to meet with her nearby. I don’t think he offers rides for fun, but if you were to call him just then...maybe he plays nice and takes her to Blackwell with him.” _Nobody is going to buy that. Even with my voice perfectly calm, this is just such bullshit._ “Sure. Why not? I wanted to stock up on weed anyway. Just send me a message and I’ll call Frank.” _The fuck? Hm. Well, I won’t question this...I mean, some things in life have to work out._

 

“Thanks. If you need some more help with algebra next year, just let me know.” The Blackwell skater sounded relieved at that offer. “Yeah, will do. Also, you and Chloe were totally rocking it on stage last night. Bye.” _Justin watched The Tempest? Huh._ “Bye.” Glad that this insane plan actually seemed to work, Rachel decided to quit stalling meeting her parents _._

 

Heading down the stairs, Rachel saw her step-mother in the kitchen. _This is so fucked up…_ “Good morning.” The word “mom” got caught in her throat and both of them realized it. “Do you want anything for breakfast, Rachel?” Rose Amber failed miserably when she tried to hide her hurt. “No, thank you. Maybe Chloe and me will grab something later...See you.” _I just...I fucking hate to see her like this. But she lied to me all my life…_

* * *

 

The sun was shining when Rachel made her way over to Blackwell by foot. She didn’t mind walking there, the fresh air helped her a bit to sort her thoughts. _What did they think how I would react? Be okay with it? I mean, I get why my dad wanted to avoid it when I was younger. But at twelve or thirteen...I just wish he hadn’t claimed to just protect me._ About three-quarters on her way to Blackwell, her phone vibrated in her pocket. _Meeting frank_. So Rachel stopped and called Justin. _I hope he doesn’t mess it up...and Chloe can do whatever she has planned._ Blackwell was empty on this Sunday morning - many students were out, taking advantage of the weather. _The fire is still raging, though..._

 

Sitting on a picnic table, Rachel watched how the stage that had been prepared for _The Tempest_ was slowly carried away. _Of course Wells wouldn’t want anything to ruin his perfect lawn for any moment longer than necessary._ Unable to concentrate on pretty much anything, Rachel kept glancing at her phone. _Why do these digits move so fucking slowly?_ There was no way for her to speed them up. Logging into the Wi-Fi, she decided to finally read up what had been written about _The Tempest_.

 

Going to Arcadia Bay Online News, she quickly read the article, nearly choking with laughter. “Chloe Price, whose chemistry with Ms. Amber’s Prospera surpassed even that of Miranda and Ferdinand”, she murmured to herself, smiling. _Yeah, I guess you could say that our chemistry is hard to compete with._ “In an excellent revision of the original script…” _That was hella awesome. I really have to talk to Mr. Keaton about producing “Twelfth Night”...and somehow get Chloe in as my Orsino._

 

Unable to sit still any longer, Rachel decided to walk over to the parking lot to meet the other girl half-way. _I’ll just catch Chloe there and we can leave Blackwell even faster._ Moving there, she heard two people arguing from afar, one of them clearly Chloe. _Fuck. She didn’t get in trouble with her dealer, did she?_ Hurrying up, Rachel saw that the other teenage girl wasn’t arguing with her dealer, but with another Blackwell student. _He’s on the Lacrosse team, I think. Eliot Hampden?_

 

Both of them turned in her direction - Chloe’s facial expression switched from annoyed to hopeful and then to deeply worried and Hampden seemed angry beyond words, narrowing his eyes. _What is his problem? “_ Speak of the devil. Rachel Amber.” _Wow. He and Vicky can compete about who hates me more…_ Using her acting skills, she ignored the open hostility and kept her voice calm and soft. “Hampden. Chloe.” _I have the feeling that he means serious trouble. Well, fuck._ “I was talking to Chloe, so if you excuse us.” Noticing the taller girl’s uneasy expression, Rachel was about to protest, but it wasn’t necessary. “Nope. I was just about to leave.”

 

Instead of replying to this, Eliot faced Rachel, angrily. “Of course, you just show up and Chloe follows you around like a puppy. What did you do to get her to do that? Fuck her? Like you fuck most of the town?” _What. The. Hell? You are crossing a very deep red line here. How the fuck does he dare to say something like this...in front of her?_ Rumours like that had been her constant companion, but if there was one person she didn’t want to hear them, it was the girl next to her. Chloe opened her mouth to shout at him, but Rachel was faster, barely able to hold her rage back. “If I were you, I would be very careful when saying that.” _I am not in the mood for bullshit like this. Bring it up again and you can strut around this town telling anyone how Rachel fucking Amber broke your fucking nose._ “Or what? You’re going to call your DA daddy?” _What the hell?_ Other footsteps were approaching behind them, yet Rachel didn’t care. _He will fucking burn._

 

Lowering her voice, she stared at him. “Back off, Hampden. Now.” _Move away before someone gets damn hurt._ Apparently, he seemed to be amused by this, and went ahead to push her very lightly. _Don’t you fucking dare to touch me!_ Like the moment before she started the fire, part of her seemed to blank out, consumed by rage. Acting on pure instinct, her right hand slapped him across the face with an angry sound. Beside her, Chloe looked shocked, ready to jump in, but her regular speed was not enough. With a low hiss of something that sounded like “You fucking bitch”, Eliot landed a blow on Rachel’s shoulder. It had come out of nowhere and staggered her. Unfortunately, she was already standing on the irregular edge between the way and the grass, losing her balance with the unsuspected force of the impact.

 

Acting on pure instinct, she stretched out her arm, subconsciously trying to stop the fall. The next thing the blonde Blackwell student noticed was the way she landed on her left wrist. With almost painful clarity, she looked at it - _I might have broken it...again_ \- before the pain kicked in as her brain caught up with her body. Far away, a fourth person entered the scene, a security officer. Chloe knelt next to her, whispering. “Are you okay?” _Okay? I…_ Allowing the other girl to help her up, Rachel murmured, shaking her head. “I think...I think I broke my hand. It hurts so fucking much.” _My voice sounds so weirdly...am I crying?_

 

Chloe talked with the security officer for a few moments before wrapping an arm around Rachel’s waist, leading her to a beat up car. Allowing herself to be helped into the passenger seat, the teenager held her wrist, wishing for the pain to end. A whisper next to her made her look up. “I’m sorry. So sorry. I’ll get you to the hospital at once.” _You didn’t do anything..._ “Chloe…” The surprisingly intense pain put her brain into overdrive while freezing it at the same time. _Chloe...it shouldn’t feel like this. It should have been a knife in my arm...and blood..._ “I’m here, don’t worry, Rach.”

 

_I know…_ There wasn’t much recollection of the rest of the ride. Not only helping her out of the car, but carrying her in the ER, Chloe tried to stay calm. “What happened?” a female voiced asked. Unable to answer herself, Chloe did most of the talking. “She got punched, fell...maybe broke her wrist.”  “Take a seat in examination room 3. A doctor will see you as soon as possible. Will you inform the parents or shall I call them?” The next thing Rachel fully consciously knew was that Chloe had half-dragged and half-carried to an examination couch. _Thank god…_ Hesitating for the fraction of a second, Chloe sat down next to her, holding the other teenager close. _It hurts so fucking much...I wish I could appreciate this more…_ Instead of saying anything, Rachel just leaned her head on the taller girl’s shoulder, hoping it might be enough.

 

A quiet voice close to her ear startled her for a moment - it was full of regret and the need to apologize. “I am so sorry, Rachel. So fucking sorry.” _What? No…_ Ignoring the sharp pain for a moment, the blonde managed to shake her head twice. Fearing that this wasn’t enough she gritted her teeth, managing to get out a verbal reply. “Not your fault. You brought me here…and stayed.” _You cared enough to stay even after what Hampden told you...reminded you of..._ “Can I...can I get your phone? We have to call your dad.” _Weird to see her as the more rational one. No use anyway. Even if we could bribe the hospital stuff, he knows about this the second Hampden arrives at the police station._ “My mobile phone is in my left pocket.”

 

Looking up, Rachel noticed that a nurse had entered with medication. _Finally. Damn._ With a soothing voice, she handed over the medication first and a glass of water second. “Doctor Henderson will be here soon to examine your wrist. The painkillers will hopefully kick in in a few minutes. If it isn’t enough, just push this button, and we’ll get you an i.v. treatment.” _Anything to stop this._ Putting the empty glass to the side, Rachel focused on the call next to ner. Discomfort was visible on Chloe’s face. This was very much a situation she had never wanted to imagine herself in. “Erm. Hi Mr. Amber.” _He probably suspects something is wrong already._ “Erm...yeah. I am in the Arcadia Bay General Hospital with Rachel. There was an accident involving a fellow student. He might be on the police station already. You should better come quickly.” _An accident...well, you could say getting in a fist fight was not planned._

 

There was no clock in the room to measure the time, and so Rachel just felt the time passing with the effect of the painkillers kicking in. _Fuck. I think I might be crushing Chloe’s arm._ Feeling bad about that, she loosened the grip ever so slightly. Next time the door opened, it wasn’t a nurse but the doctor _._ “Good morning. My name is Doctor Henderson and I’m here to take care of you. Can I take a look at your wrist?” Nodding her agreement, she quickly explained the accident and then looked at the careful examination. _Damn. That’s certainly a bruise to remember...and it’s swollen as well. Well, shit._

 

A quick knock and the door opened again, this time revealing Arcadia Bay’s DA. _And here I thought it couldn’t get any worse than the pain…_   “Ah, Mr. Amber. It’s good you’re here. I am Doctor Henderson and I finished examining your daughter’s wrist. So far, I am pretty sure it’s merely distorted, not broken, but I want to get an X-Ray to make sure. Ms. Amber? Would you come with me, please? No worries, it won’t hurt and will be done quickly.” _He will certainly grill and interrogate her. Please, don’t lie for me this time._ “Chloe and I will be waiting here for you.”

 

After standing still for the X-ray, Rachel was relieved to hear that her wrist was sprained to the point that she had to wear a special bandage, but nothing was broken. _Seems I was actually lucky this time._ As soon as they made it back to the examination room, her dad and Chloe fell silent. _Huh. What have these two discussed? I guess I’ll have to ask Chloe later._ Feeling a little better when she sat down, Chloe decided to grab her right hand again. _Well, dad, come to terms with it._ Surprisingly, he didn’t say anything. Promising to keep the documentation available in case there would be trouble with Eliot, Doctor Henderson hurried off to her next case. “Rachel, do you want me to take you home or somwhere?” _No. I rather walk._ “Thanks, but no. I will be perfectly fine with Chloe.” Studying them, he seemed to supress a sigh. “I guess so. I suppose I will have to look into this Eliot Hampden then. Just...be careful, you two.” _He doesn’t like this much. But it’s not as if he is in any position to disagree with me._

 

Standing in the hallway, Chloe looked down to her shoes, bot quite sure of what she should say. “I get if you don’t feel like it now, but if you do, would you mind if we stopped by Mikey for a little while? Maybe I can talk to him and Drew.” _Why does she look so worried? From what I heard of it, it could have ended a lot worse._ “Sure.” _Anything to avoid that discussion I really don’t want to lead with her._ “Hey Mikey! Hi Steph and Drew!” Chloe tried to sound as normal as possible, but the slight shiver in her voice gave her away. “Callamastia! Thank you for stopping by.” Mikey replied and gave her a smile. _Sounds like a weird nickname._ “Hi everyone.” Rachel was very much aware of how this looked - her and Chloe walking in hand in hand, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. _And perhaps it is just that. Hella regular._ “Oh, hi Rachel.”

 

Chloe walked over to the bed and pulled out her favourite marker. “Can I sign your cast?” The boy’s eyes lit up and he nodded. “Sure thing, Callamastia.” _Hm. I feel as if I am missing something here._ Biting her lower lip - _damn her, she shouldn’t do that in public if she doesn’t want me to kiss her_ \- Chloe nodded to herself and started drawing. “Awesome! Like the Bracer of Fire Immunity!” _The what?_ “Yeah. I figured you might like it.” Rachel watched the way Drew seemed to be rather uncomfortable and she tilted her head, waiting curiously. “So, Chloe...I want to apologize for what I said to you yesterday. Fuck, Merrick would have beaten me bloody if you hadn’t intervened.” _Huh. Who would have guessed that Blackwell’s star athlete has this side to him? He never struck me as a nice and caring person._

 

“I mean...damn...Mikey got hurt, when I should have watched out for him instead. I just feel that things would have been way worse if you hadn’t handed over the money.” Seeing the genuine smile of Chloe’s face made Rachel smile as well. _I know how much she worried about this._ Reaching up to her neck with one hand, unsure of how to react, Chloe finally nodded. “Thank you. It means a lot. I fucking didn’t plan to get you hurt though, Mikey.” “I know. But if you want to cheer me up, Steph has spent the morning making up a new campaign. Elamon could use your help.”

 

“Well, yeah, but my character fucking died fighting that Dur-dude.” Smiling, Steph shook her head. “If I recall correctly, Callamastia had the Stone of Life in her inventory.” Impossibly, Mikey’s smile stretched further. “That’s like an extra life! Awesome! Rachel...do you want to join in, too?” _The fuck? And why is everyone looking so expectant all of a sudden?_ “I've never played tabletop before.” That was the truth. _Never thought anyone would ask me to join either. Oh fuck...Chloe shouldn’t grin like this...Damn. I feel it - revenge for forcing her to play Ariel. Fucking karma._

 

“No worries, Rachel, we play improv games all the whole time after all and you’re fantastic at it. Just make stuff up and roll as high as possible.” With the weakest protest, Rachel lifted her left arm which had been behind her back so far. “Roll a dice? Yeah, I feel excessively lucky today.” “Shit! What happened to your hand?” Mikey asked. Apparently nobody had noted the bandage so far. Exchanging a quick glance with a shrugging Chloe, Rachel went for it. “I kind of got in a fight with Eliot Hampden.” _Both vague and descriptive enough._ Drew frowned. “That snob who’s on the lacrosse team?” _Yup._ Next to her, Chloe tensed. “Yeah. Him.”

 

Steph seemed to have come to a conclusion and grinned. “While it’s awful you got hurt...it’s kind of romantic that you got into a fight for Chloe.” _Damn, Steph. That sounds way more dramatic than it actually was…_ “Erm…” Chloe started and shook her head. “So, Rach, you game?” A lifetime of acting nice and pleasant caught up with her. “Okay.” Pulling out a folder, Steph sorted through some sheets of paper. “You are an Aasimar Sorceress with a dragonborn focus.” Chloe snorted and tried to suppress a laugh. _I have no idea what Steph just said. Besides sorceress, of course._ “What’s so funny?” Her blue eyes sparkling mischievous, Chloe replied. “It fits. Dragonborn means you have an affinity for fire...and the Aasimar are...well…” _Blushing? Huh?_ “Known for their inhuman beauty.” Trying to make a joke was her way out. “I guess I gotta say, Steph, you know your character sheets.” Spreading her hands and lowering her hands in a fake salute, Arcadia Bay’s number one game maker nodded. Switching the topic worked most times, so Rachel did just that.

 

“So, Chloe...and the rest. What are your characters?” Half-grinning, Chloe reached up to place a hand on her neck. “I am an elf barbarian.” _Hmm._ “Well, Chloe, I can totally see you as an elf barbarian.” _God, she’s hella cute when she blushes._ Mikey picked up. “I play a human wizard.” Steph started staring at Drew with a frown until the football player sighed. “Well, I am a gnome bard. At least Steph said I am one.” Impossibly, Chloe laughed even harder than the moment Steph presented Rachel’s character. “Holy shit. It will be hilarious.” And it was, although neither Rachel nor Drew really got to play. _Well, I said today is not my lucky day. Fuck._ “One.” “Damn…” Shrugging dramatically, Steph grabbed the little figurine. “As the bridge falls into the raging water plank by plank, your screams echo through the canyon until your body hits the water - and there is no more audible noise besides the running stream.” _Wow. Three minutes in and I already fucking died._ “Damn, Rach. Sorry.” The blonde Cali girl shrugged. “Not your fault, Chloe. Like I said, not my lucky day.”

 

Eventually, Drew managed to beat her negative record - his gnome bard actually died after two minutes in the game, pierced by a hundred arrows. _Ha. Thankfully I am not the only one who:s hella bad at this game._ Fifteen minutes later, the game ended with Chloe heroically sacrificing her character and Mikey winning the campaign. The 14 years old boy was beaming with happiness when they were done, although he expressed his concern that Chloe’s elf barbarian had died twice so far to save him. “Alright guys, catch you later!” _Fuck. This means the inevitable talk will come up in a very short amount of time._ Waving goodbye to the three other students, Rachel and Chloe made their way out of the hospital and over to the junkyard.

 

* * *

 

They chose the same path Rachel had used the day before - walking down the beach. Once more, the sound of the waves was soothing and the only thing breaking the silence. _Damn. I don’t want to bring this up...I really don’t. But Chloe doesn’t seem to feel like talking either._ Slowly looking down, seeing their intertwined hands, Rachel took a deep breath.There was nobody nearby, as they had reached the outskirts of Arcadia Bay, and therefore no valid reason to avoid it any longer. “So...I...well, fuck.” _Awesome start, Amber._ Sighing, she tried to start over but Chloe beat her to it. “I want to say sorry, Rachel. It was my fault that Eliot went off like this.” _Hmm. Well, you didn’t punch me._ “How can it be your fault?” _Oh, fuck. Fuck._ Suddenly, the blonde girl knew. “It was...I was dumb. My dad died and Max moved away and I was so fucking lonely. I saw Eliot at a concert and we hooked up.” _Shit. At least she didn’t say he is her boyfriend._

 

Seeing the worry in the hazel eyes, Chloe gulped. “There weren’t any feelings involved, at least on my side. And when he started to ask me out all the time, I ended it, hoping we would stay friends. But after this bullshit he pulled off with you - no fucking chance.” Rachel stayed silent for a while, contemplating while they walked. “I probably shouldn’t have slapped him. But what he was saying...I couldn’t just...fuck.” Rachel sighed, her hazel eyes looking at the Pacific Ocean. _I want to say it so badly, but can’t. It’s all fucking lies, but how should I convince Chloe? For all she knows I just went to the Firewalk show so I could hook up with someone. Damn. That’s what you fucking get for acting as if these rumours were non-existent, Amber._

 

Stopping the smaller girl by stepping in front of her, Chloe shook her head. “Did you really think I buy this stuff?” _Well, everyone in this fucking school talks about it._ Shrugging, Rachel was unsure how to reply. _I wish you wouldn’t. But when I am at the point that people actually ask me if it’s true to try and hook up with me? I don’t know. Hella annoying._ “You said it yourself, Rach. Assholes abound in Arcadia Bay. Bitchtoria talking fucking bullshit again.” Once more, Chloe Price had managed it - she was speechless again. A wave of relief washed over Rachel; something she wouldn’t have expected to feel - choking on her words, desperate for any way to reply. For nine months, Rachel had avoided all the rumours the best she could and hearing that Chloe didn't care about this stuff felt almost...elating.

 

_Fuck it._ Unable to reply verbally, Rachel leaned up and pressed her lips to Chloe’s. Part of her remembered to be careful with her injured hand, but that was all. When the other girl responded by pulling her closer, deepening the kiss, everything else around them ceased to exist for a little while. “I…” Rachel tried to calm herself down. “I know”, Chloe simply replied. _Say something, Amber. Anything. Reassure her._ “I swear that none of the things they say are true.” A surprisingly soft smile was the answer she got. “Of fucking course. I mean, I haven’t been to school that often, but I don’t recall that you openly flirted with someone. Or whatever you are seemingly supposed to do.”

 

In an unspoken agreement, the two of them continued their way to the junkyard, talking while walking. “I love your hair, by the way. I wanted to tell you since I saw it.” _It looks hella hot on her. But...well, what doesn’t?_ The taller girl’s face lit up. “Yeah, it’s totally fucking badass, right?” _Fucking badass? Hmmm._ “Well, I was going to say freaking hot. But yes, badass, too.” This time it was Chloe who started the kiss, grabbing the younger girl’s waist and pulling her close. Reaching up and tilting her head just perfectly, a tiny part of Rachel wondered how many times they had kissed already... _how is it even possible I am already that familiar with her body?_ But following this thought would require actually thinking and that was a task Rachel Amber was not quite up to in this moment. _She deserves to hear it from me, though. No matter how unimportant this might seem to me, maybe Chloe would view it hella different._

 

“I'll tell you something now, Chloe. Before someone does get you to make some assumptions. Nobody caught my eye here in Oregon. Well, until you did. But by then, the rumours had circulated for the whole fucking school year. There was nobody, not in Blackwell, at least.” _Might as well tell her right now, before I nope out again._ “Someone back in LA?” Nodding, Rachel continued. _Not that this matters for me now, but I think Chloe will appreciate the honesty. She was brave enough to tell me about Hampden after all._ “There was this one guy, in my freshman year - Ryan. He was the stage manager for the drama club.” Chloe lifted an eyebrow. “What was he like?”

 

Deciding to stick to the truth, Rachel shrugged. “Actually...I don’t really know. We rarely spoke, he was quite shy. The only times we talked were about the play. I had half a mind to ask him out to get to know him better over the summer, but it never happened.” “Why not?” There wasn’t much room for interpretation of the older teenager’s tone. _Oh, Price, no need to get jealous._ “We both moved. His family moved to Chicago, and my dad forced us to move here.” Unbelievingly, Chloe tilted her head. “That’s it?” Frowning, Rachel tried to make sense of that statement and the other girl’s evident confusion. “Yeah, that’s it.” Too curious at this remark, Rachel pressed on, though. “What did you expect?” _Seriously, though, what did she think I would say?_ Shrugging, Chloe contemplated it for a moment. “I dunno. Maybe how you wrote endless messages via Facebook or called each other late at night.” Lifting an eyebrow and raising her hands, Rachel sighed. “Price, you’re jealous and there is absolutely no need to be. Promised. Last time Ryan and me had any interaction was the day after said play.”

 

Winking at the taller girl, Rachel continued. “And truth be told, he wouldn’t be able to compete with you, no matter what. You’re way hotter than him.” _Oh, wow, Chloe, that’s some seriously smug smile you got there._ “Anyway...there was nobody until we met at the Firewalk show.” _Alright. That went better than I expected it would._ As they continued walking along the beach in a far more relaxed silence than before, neither teenager noticed the raven behind them.

 

Rachel sat on the bed of the truck, waiting for Chloe to return after running to the shack to collect the required tools. _Oh, shit. I totally forgot about Chloe’s plan!_ Seeing her hand in the bandage made Rachel feel slightly better about it. _This was more important to be dealt with…_ Her girl returned and sat down next to Rachel, pulling out her mobile phone. “I’m sorry I forgot about it earlier. While it is not much, I found a mail address in Frank’s notebook.” Smiling, Rachel looked at the picture, seeing the letters. _She did it. She really did it._ It felt surprisingly natural, to lean over, closing the distance, and initiating yet another kiss. “I...thank you.” There wasn’t much else she could say in this moment.

 

* * *

 

 

Watching out for Rachel’s bandaged hand, Chloe pulled her close, holding the smaller girl. “You know, I totally planned to force you into helping me fix this truck. Lucky you for getting injured when fighting my stalkerish ex…dude, now you evade this fate.” _I still wish you haven’t gotten hurt in the process._ Rachel actually chuckled at that. “Seems I did luck out after all.” Chloe’s heart beat faster as she saw the content smile on the younger teen’s face. _I hope I can keep seeing this smile for the rest of my life. Where the hell does this come from?_ “I think I should try and revive this truck now.” Ending the embrace and grabbing the toolbox, Chloe moved over to the other side of the truck, opening the hood.

 

_How the fuck shall I fix this? Alright, Price. Focus._ Slowly, switching tools, sometimes asking Rachel for assistance, Chloe worked. _It feels good to actually do something like this. Fucking weird…to fix stuff with my hands - resurrecting it. Seems I really have life skills and shit. Would dad be proud of me?_ Behind her, she vaguely heard the vibration of a phone and turned around. “What’s up?” _Rachel looks so worried all of a sudden. The fuck?_ Walking over with the pliers still in hand, Chloe frowned. “Rach, what’s wrong?” _She’s nervous. Why?_ Tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her left ear, Rachel looked at her friend. _Damn. She’s so gorgeous._

 

“My dad just messaged me, asking me to call him. Apparently, it’s about Eliot and you.” _What the hell?_ Panic surged for a second, constricting the older girl’s chest. A soft touch to her wrist pulled her back to reality, though. “You told me about your common history. There is nothing to worry about.” Lifting an eyebrow, Chloe stared into the hazel eyes in wonder. _Does Rachel have any idea of the way she affects me? The way she just gives me the feeling that everything will be fucking okay in the end?_ Sitting down on the hood of the rusty car next to Rachel, Chloe nodded and grabbed her hand. “You’re right. Just...fucking call him. How bad can it be?” Rachel pressed the dial button and put them on speaker, waiting for her dad to pick up the call. _Damn weird situation._ “Rachel?” Rolling her eyes, the blonde teenager suppressed a sigh, which made Chloe smile. _Who else should she be?_ “Yeah. It’s me and Chloe’s here with me on the speaker.” The wannabe pirate could almost feel the DA shaking his head.

 

“Hi Mr. A. What’s up?” _Hopefully you just don’t fucking try to call us to check whether Rachel is still alive…_ There was a moment of silence, almost as if James was unsure about the best way to proceed. “We just finished searching Mr. Hampden’s room. Apparently, he has actually been stalking you, Chloe. There were pictures; weird poetry about you...and he continuously googled your name as well.” The smile had left Chloe's face. _What the fuck? I mean...he can’t be that psycho, can he? Dammit._ She zoned out, staring into the distance. _Just what I needed on top of David and being expelled…_ A squeeze of her hand brought her back to reality, or rather a concerned looking pair of hazel eyes. “Shit. I just...it’s a fucking lot to grasp.”

 

“I get that you feel troubled about this development, Chloe, and I promise Mr. Hampden will be dealt with. Between this, the messages he sent you and the testimony of Mr. Matthews, he will never see Blackwell Academy again.” _I bet Wells will be a lot less happy to expel him than when he got rid of me...fuck that asshole._ “I have to talk with Principal Wells about this...disturbing development. Like I said in the hospital, nobody can blame you for using any means to distance yourself from Mr. Hampden, Chloe.”

 

_Is he really trying to fucking buy me?_ Rachel gave her a confused look, of course, she had been in the X-ray room during this discussion. Shrugging and shaking her head, Chloe indicated a later explanation to the other teenager. “If this is some blackmailing attempt, stop it right now. I don’t fucking care about continuing my education there.” _Fuck, he is really a master manipulator. I have to be damn careful around him, Rachel is right about this. He had the upper hand in the hospital, with me being so worried about Rachel - but not this time._ Lifting an eyebrow, the blonde girl tilted her head, thoughtful. “Rachel is angry enough with me already. I won’t risk upsetting her even more. You said it yourself, Chloe. I should take time to think things over.” _Hm. Sounds sincere enough, damn._

 

“Yeah, well, we’ll see, Mr. A. Bye.” Hitting the button to end the call, Chloe groaned. “What. The. Hell.” Rachel nodded and studied her Converse. “I don’t know...that was so weird, actually. Both he fact that Hampden was out stalking you...and that my dad somehow wants to help you.” The tone was very doubtful, sceptical. “Weird, ey, Amber?” Somehow, the blonde managed a wink. “Hella weird.” But as Chloe looked down at the intertwined hands and contemplated stealing yet another kiss from Rachel, she couldn’t help but wonder.

 

As the sun was about to set, the truck finally roared to life. _Fuck, yeah!_ Chloe grinned, so broadly and Rachel hugged her. “Awesomely done, junkyard queen!” _What…? Was that supposed to be endearing?_ “Well, drama queen, you are good on stage and I am good with my hands.” _Damn. Too far?_ A sultry grin greeted her so Chloe tried to say something, anything really, to get her mind out of the gutter again. _That grin does not help at all, Rachel._ “You know, figuring out how things work...and fix them when broken...that’s kind of what I am good with.”

 

Looking into the shining hazel eyes, the older girl wondered whether she had said something wrong, been too serious on this crazy day. Rachel didn’t mock her, though. Slowly, she traced Chloe’s palm with a tentative finger. _What the fuck is she doing?_ “You do what needs to be done, not minding getting your hands dirty. I like that about you, Price.” _Like, ey?_ “Come on, I am dying for you to drive us to the city.” _Well, I wish we could escape this shitty town instead. But...fuck it._

 

* * *

 

 

_Hello, Blackhell. I didn’t think I would be here this soon again._ Chloe lifted her head, staring at the bricks of Blackwell in front of her. _Here goes fucking nothing._ “Are you coming, Chloe? You know I have to get back to the diner.” _Sure, mom, I want nothing more than get back into this shithole._ But biting her tongue, the teenager walked up the steps. “Good morning, Mrs. Price, Chloe.” She gave James Amber a measuring look, but Joyce looked confused. “What is going on here?” Simply shrugging, Chloe passed the ball to Rachel’s dad. _I don’t fucking care anyway._ “Chloe didn’t tell you about yesterday?” Staring ahead to count the tiles on the floor, the punk refused to reply. Before there was a chance to explain, Mrs. Tyler, the old secretary, opened the door and led them to Wells’ office.

 

Sitting down, Chloe stared at Wells, wishing the look in her eyes was enough to kill him. _Too bad I’m not Rachel. She might have made this work._ “As not all of us are familiar with the events, allow me to recap.” Putting the folder on the desk - Eliot Hampden stamped on it - James Amber was about to begin. _Let’s see how good of a liar he really is._ “Yesterday, there was an incident on the school grounds, involving my daughter, Rachel, and Mr. Hampden.” Feeling her mom’s eyes on her, Chloe still refused to look at her and stared at the ugly bird statue on the desk. _I wouldn’t mind that chair, though. Seems damn fucking cosy._ “Chloe was about to meet her when Mr. Hampden stopped her and began harassing her. She sent a message to Mr. Matthews, but he couldn’t make it in time. Instead, Rachel, wondering what took her friend so long, made her way over to the parking lot.”

 

_God, I wish I had one of these fucking cameras. Wells looks so fucking uncomfortable hearing how much of an asshole one of his full scholarship athletes is._ “Unfortunately the situation escalated, and Rachel got hurt in the process. Mr. Matthews’ testimony is right here.” The DA pulled a document out of the folder. “Thankfully, nothing worse happened, as Chloe took care of Rachel, driving her to the hospital immediately.”  _Damn. Rachel seriously got her acting talent from him. I mean, he’s not explicitly lying, but manipulative as fuck. Oh, shit. He might as well be able to really get me back in here._ Inwardly, Chloe groaned and had to force herself to not roll her eyes. _Mom will build him a fucking monument in the front yard for sure._ “While Mr. Hampden was taken into custody, we searched his room on the campus and found some...crucial evidence.”

 

“Crucial evidence? For what exactly?” _Wells knows he’s fucking losing this one._ Moving forward in the folder, there were some pictures of him and Chloe - including some of just Chloe, taken on campus - as well as entries from his diary and a list of his google searches. _Fuck this creep._ Despite knowing about this, the punk couldn’t help but feel sick. _I wish Rachel was here with me._ Looking up to finally gaze at her mother, she noted the paleness and worried expression the most famous Two Whales waitress bore. Across the desk, Principal Wells didn’t look much better. They both were drawing conclusions already, Joyce afraid for her daughter and Wells afraid for Blackwell’s reputation. _That’s what you fucking get for promoting a zero tolerance for sexual harassment._ Next to her, James Amber waited, prolonging the silence as he noticed the conclusions they were drawing.

 

“I am afraid to say it, but it’s pretty clear Mr. Hampden spent his time stalking Chloe Price. We also have a copy of their text messages, which heavily imply his wish to contact her and her refusal.” _Damn. Said it now. I mean, it can be interpreted like this. I wish I had shown some better taste…but after dad died…_ Forcing herself to listen again, Chloe abandoned this train of thoughts. “I talked with Chloe yesterday and – I am sorry to say it publically – that she avoided going to school so she wouldn’t see him.” _Well, that’s kinda true, but I wasn’t afraid of him or anything. I just…didn’t want him to think I was his girlfriend._ “Oh, Chloe! Why didn’t you say anything?” Shrugging, she looked at her mom. “Nobody would have believed me anyway. It was the school delinquent against the lacrosse star.” _Suck on that, Wells._ “I am sad to hear that you didn’t feel you could trust us.” _Take some remedial lying with Mr. A, maybe you could then come off as convincing. Also, who the hell is us?_

 

“Well, the last time I told you the truth about one of your sports students, you told me that this was none of my business.” _Sorry, Drew. I don’t actually mean this anymore._ “Chloe!” _Back at chastising me again, mom?_ Crossing her arms as she leaned back in the chair, the teenager made a point of not looking at her mother. “I admit that my choice of words was rather…unfortunate.” _Yeah, you ass, you can fucking say that._ “We all can agree that the circumstances we find ourselves in are probably less than ideal.” _Well, yeah, Mr. Amber. It’s all kinda less than ideal._ Wells hesitated, unsure. _He looks like he wants a shot. I fucking bet that he has a bottle of whiskey somewhere in this awful office._ “I agree.” _Wow, that didn’t sound fake at all._ “In the light of the recent events, I think that the expulsion was not the best choice I could have made.” _Was there ever really a choice? You totally wanted to kick me from this shitty school anyway._ “But Ms. Price, we still have to talk about the incident with the bathroom that happened on Saturday morning.” _Ha. Yeah. That was some awesome work. Or, as Rachel would say – hella awesome._

 

Smirking at the principal, Chloe shrugged. “I think that we’re even. After all, I ended up saving that theatre play on Saturday evening.” _Oh, god, his face. He wants to tear into me really badly, but can’t right now. This feels fucking good._ “Make sure it won’t happen again, Ms. Price.” Feeling her mother’s stare, Chloe sighed inwardly. _No mom, it’s none of your business._ “That being said”, Wells continued, “you will be starting your junior year this autumn, Ms. Price.” _He expects me to fuck up again. That’s why he relented…he thinks I’m going to screw up anyway so he can expel me once and for all._ Leaving the office with the three adults, Chloe couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. _I would have never guessed that I actually have to come back here. Two more years in Blackhell. Joy._ “Oh, Chloe Price!” _Shit. Oh, fuck, please no._ Recognizing the voice down the hallway, Chloe steeled herself. _This won’t end well._ She recalled the play, and that Keaton had already told her that he would track her down for the next production.

 

“Erm…hey, Mr. Keaton. Good to see you didn’t break any legs on Saturday.” “I am surprised to see you walking through these halls again.” It was a curious tone, and before Chloe could answer, Wells beat her to it. “Ms. Price has been re-installed into Blackwell. She will come back to…finish her education.” _Wow, that sounds like a really try-hard threat there. Good to see that some things never change._ “Wonderful! It will be a joy to have you in the play alongside Rachel next year for more than a single scene.” A tiny part of Chloe wanted to go ahead and actually strangle the younger girl for this. _Now this is what I fucking get for helping out these desperate drama kids. Do I really have to be on this fucking stage again?_ “I am sure Ms. Price would do anything to show her…school spirit.” Lifting an eyebrow at the sarcastic tone Wells offered, the teenager tried her best to bite back a pissed off remark. Mr. Amber looked unsurprised and her mom already worried at Chloe’s impending answer. _Fuck this. Keaton will bother me all fucking year anyway, Rachel will get a kick out of it and Wells will be super-pissed._ “Yeah, sure.” _Talk about sounding…unconvincing. Maybe I can escape this fate…by literally breaking a leg._

 

* * *

 

 

Slowly moving up the stairs to the Blackwell Campus, Rachel was stopped by her vibrating phone. Pulling it out one-handed and unlocking the screen, she looked at the latest message. _Your dad got me back in. fuck_. The message from Chloe wasn’t much of a surprise, as her father had told her as much a few minutes ago in another message. Apparently, Joyce Price had forced Chloe and James Amber into eating a free breakfast at the Two Whales afterwards and that was where they all were. _Well, I wouldn’t mind some breakfast, either Or at least a cup of coffee. Well, Price, up to becoming Blackwell’s new honour student?_ Rachel couldn’t help it, she already pictured Chloe’s extremely disgusted look at even the mentioning of this possibility. _Fuck, no_. _No chance in hell_. _That was quick._ _Although that crazy drama guy forced me to take part in the next play._ Hazel eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. _What? How did Keaton manage this?_ This might mean a change of a plan; she would have to speak to him sooner than expected. _Pestered me with wells behind me._ _Wells was already pissed and waited for an opportunity to tear into me again._ _Now i have to go on some fucking stage again._

 

_God, I wish I had seen that conversation. That would have been the most hilarious thing ever. No worries. I’ll be right beside you on that stage. And I’ll help you learn all the lines._ Chloe’s annoyed groan was clearly visible in the next message. _Of course you would...see you later, my mom is done preparing breakfast._ Putting her phone away, Rachel noted an unexpected sign under a tree. Nathan Prescott, sitting side by side with that girl from his year, Samantha, immersed in a discussion about “Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf?”

 

“Hi!” Both of them looked up, surprised to be disturbed. “Oh, hey Rachel. How are you?” Both freshmen were staring right at her bandaged hand, but it didn’t seem too surprising for either freshman. _Seems like the Blackwell rumour mill has already been set to work. Fucking typical._ “I’m fine, no worries.” Samantha frowned, unsure whether she should say something. “I am glad you are okay. Is it true you got in a fist fight with Eliot Hampden?” _What? Who the fuck came up with this bullshit?_ Using all her acting skill to keep calm, Rachel smiled. “I had an accident. That’s all everyone needs to know. What are you two up to?” Nathan lifted the book, smiling. “We decided to work together on Ms. Hoida’s latest assignment.” _Nathan seems...surprisingly happy. Good for him, really. He needs someone in his year to help him out...who’s not Victoria._ “Oh, good luck, to you two. I’ll have to slip my sick certificate to the school nurse. Catch you later!” Flashing them a brilliant - and sincere - smile, Rachel walked up the stairs, pushing open the door.

 

Finding the nurse and handing her the sheet of paper that excused her from school for the next two days only took Rachel about five minutes. Quickly stopping by her locker, she grabbed her Latin course textbook. _I already know which text I will miss in class, I’ll simply translate it at home then, so I won’t miss out on the assignment._ Closing her locker again, she contemplated talking to Mr. Keaton before leaving Blackwell for the day and decided to simply go for it. _Nothing to lose, I guess._

 

“Good morning, Mr. Keaton!” _Since he already forced Chloe to be in the next play, I might as well go straight for it._ Looking at the approaching teenager, the drama teacher couldn't help but smile. “Good afternoon, Rachel. You were just splendid during the play. And that scene with you and Chloe? It was just magical!” _Wow. Good that he’s so impressed he doesn’t even get what I did there. And if he didn’t get it…nobody has._ “Have you heard it? Miss Price has promised me that she will be in the play next year. Thankfully, she is back at school.” _You’re telling me nothing I don’t know already. But since you are so smitten with her - understandably - I might get it to work really easy._ “Yes, she already told me that you convinced her to join.” _Or rather that you practically forced her to. Although, knowing Chloe, pissing off Wells might have been a kind good motivation for her._ “It will be wonderful. I have all summer to think of the right play to perform! Just think of all these wonderful possibilities that are just waiting out there!”

 

Hiding her smirk, Rachel simply nodded. A quick glance to both sides of the corridor confirmed that they were alone, so she went for it. “Actually, Mr. Keaton, thinking of these possibilities…may I suggest a play to you?” _Since I...erm convinced Chloe to step in for Juliet, I hope to get some credit._ The smile on the drama teacher’s face was almost answer enough. “But of course! I am always glad to hear any suggestion of the best actress in Blackwell!” _Well, with my possible post-graduation plan, I definitely have to make sure I am the best actress around here._ “I was thinking about a Shakespearean comedy for next year, _Twelfth Night_ , maybe?” _Come on, this will be a huge success. And I bet I can motivate Chloe a bit better to learn her lines if she knows the content of the play might piss off Wells slightly._ Slowly running his hand over his jaw, Mr. Keaton contemplated this idea. Knowing that saying anything more would come off as too pushy, Rachel simply settled for a soft smile while she waited impatiently.

 

“ _Twelfth Night_...an interesting idea, indeed. Following yet another shipwreck...only to explore the shores of the fabled Illyria. An outstanding idea, as always, Rachel.” _Yes! Part one of this worked well even better than I anticipated. Or maybe Mr. Keaton is just happy that someone around here actually cares about the annual plays…_ “I figured it might work, considering we are at the Oregon coast right here.” _Although I’d obviously prefer California…_

 

“Absolutely; I wonder why I haven’t come up with it myself. Everyone always demands to see the Shakespearean tragedies, so I have a way better chance to present a memorable comedy…” Rachel simply stood there and allowed the teacher to walk up and down while he kept mumbling to himself. _Just let him talk this over with himself until he thinks he would have come with this play anyway._ Stopping the pacing, Keaton nodded to his student. “I am sure we can make it very memorable. _The Tempest_ was critically acclaimed and we might just be as good with the next play.” _Alright. I have to be careful with this. But considering that he had no problem to reverse cast me this year, I might as well make this work._ “That actually makes me wonder about something, though…” It sounded so thoughtful and contemplating that nobody would have suspected that this had been Rachel’s plan all along, put in final shape by Chloe’s message earlier.

 

Looking at his student, Mr. Keaton motioned for Rachel to continue. “Both you and the press praised the scene with Chloe and me. I just wonder...would you consider another reverse casting? Maybe make her try out for the role of Orsino?” _Okay. Said it now. Let’s see what he makes of this._ For a moment, the teacher frowned, contemplating this suggestion. “Oh my, what an inspirational idea. With the chemistry between you two as Viola and Orsino…”

 

Hiding a smirk, Rachel couldn’t help but be more than pleased with the turn of events. _He basically handed out the most important role in the play to me without thinking about it twice._ “I hope you can convince young Ms. Price to take on this challenge”, Mr. Keaton finally stated as he looked at the blonde Cali girl. _I will work this out. I might have an idea already…_ Giving him a pleasant smile, Rachel nodded. “I will do my best, Mr. Keaton. Have a wonderful day!”

 

When she closed the main doors behind her and walked down the road – evading any other discussion, as the lessons had begun, Rachel finally allowed herself to fully smile when she was alone. _I wish everything in life would be as easy as convincing Mr. Keaton._ Walking home, she replayed the conversation with the drama teacher in her head, generally pleased. _I just have to make sure that Victoria won’t even think about joining in next year. After this tea incident, I wouldn’t put it past her to shoot me or…something. Hella horrible girl._

 

But Victoria wasn’t really important at that moment, Rachel decided as she walked through yet another forgettable neighbourhood of Arcadia Bay. _I feel that unlike yesterday, this day is a lucky one. Chloe being back at Blackwell; the conversation with Mr. Keaton working out…_ Taking a deep breath, she decided that she would go for it as soon as she got home, before the doubts would stop her.

 

Twenty minutes later, Rachel stared at a blank slot in her mail program, unsure of what to write. _Chloe said that I will know...but I can’t come up with anything at all._ Tucking her hair behind her left ear, she stared unhappily at the screen. She felt reminded of the way her brain had refused to work when her dad finally told her the truth. _There is nothing. Nothing at all._ Whenever she felt that she had found a direction to use, she shook it off mere moments later. “Fuck this. I don’t even know if I am more angry or disappointed...or…” Sighing, Rachel decided for a business-like approach. _Maybe this works. Simply staying safe._ Apparently it worked, because she finished the email rather quick.

 

_ Hello Sera, _

_ My name is Rachel Amber. You will probably wonder where I got this address, but it doesn’t really matter. _

_ There are a lot of questions I have for you and I would like to meet you in person to get the answers, if you don’t mind. _

_ I admit that this situation is a very strange one for both of us, but I hope it can be sorted out. _

_ Rachel _

 

Frowning, Rachel leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, looking at the black words in front of her. _Not perfect, but I don’t think I could improve it anyway._ Wondering whether she should call Chloe and ask her about her opinion, Rachel shook it off quickly. _Maybe_ _Chloe is right...perhaps this email doesn’t really count. Perhaps what matters is the conversation when I meet my real mom in person._

 

Closing her eyes for a second, Rachel took a deep breath to settle herself, before finally moving the cursor to “Send”. This was it. Her chance to uncover the truth. And she would use it. One click later, the email was sent. _There is no going back now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to put this out before my exam weeks start and I won't have time to write. Also, I am slightly feeling sick, so it was a welcome distraction.
> 
> Up next: It's the time of the summer holidays in Arcadia Bay and Rachel tries to come up with a somewhat resonable plan to escape the small Oregon town.


End file.
